Through the Gate
by Kikyo539
Summary: Old relationships are falling apart and new ones make their appearance. What will happen to a grief struken priestess when a group of travellers cross her path and bring up a subject she can't ignore? Sequal to Crossing over -not a crossover
1. Relationships Gone Awry

**Sorry about my 2 month lateness... I have been busy with work (which i have now quit) and school (which is almost over) Hope you enjoy! oh... and i do not own Inuyasha or Tsubasa Chronicles :)**

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><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 1: RELATIONSHIPS GONE AWRY

Ever since the death of her mother and her grandfather, the life of Kagome Taisho had changed dramatically, for better and for worse… but mostly for worse. When it comes to the good changes, Kagome had lived a prosperous life as the village priestess in the feudal era. Her spiritual abilities had increased drastically since then and she also had some training in the art of the sword by one of the village men. In the short year that had passed, she had even learned to make her bow and arrows appear and disappear at will, so she would never bear the burden of carrying them around or forgetting them in her hut when she needed them the most. It had seemed that she had mastered all the techniques of a great priestess, and then some… though she had still had problems with conjuring up her own barriers, but that was only a minor setback.

The bad changes… now that was a different story all together. Kagome's beloved brother, Souta, had learned to despise his own sister, pushing the blame of their family's death onto her already heavy shoulders. Only month ago had he made the decision to leave the village to marry a woman, Hitomi, and hadn't been seen since. Kagome had only just given up the thought of his return.

The life of romance had also gone awry. The relationship between Sango and Miroku never lasted more than a few more weeks. The idiotic monk had abandoned Sango and their three children to discover his true destiny 'travelling across different worlds,' though, of course, no one in the village believed him. Sango, heartbroken, remained in denial that he would someday come back into her arms once again, saying that the only reason he wanted to leave was to get away with his typical womanizing attitude without a Hiraikotsu being tossed towards his head. But the most shocking change of all was how awful the relationship between the priestess and the half demon was holding up.

"Kagome! What the hell is your problem?" Inuyasha yelled, his face almost as red as his crimson haori.

"What's my problem? My problem is you, Inuyasha!" Kagome screeched, pointing her finger at her once loveable hanyo.

"How the hell am I your problem? Ever since your damn brother left, all you've done is bitch at me for random shit that doesn't even have anything to do with me!"

This wasn't just a typical Inuyasha – Kagome fight that they usually had any other day. It was intense. Yells and screams could be heard across the village if someone listened hard enough.

"Everything has got something to do with you! It's always you! It's always your fault that something always happens to us! You are always criticizing everything I do, you get into constant fights with the first person who looks at you funny, and whenever Naraku attacks, you somehow manage to blow the place up!"

"Well you're not perfect either, wench. Just because you're a so called holy priestess, you act like you're all pure and innocent! You can give up this stupid act because it's not working. Everyone knows that you are an insufferable little BITCH!" Inuyasha growled.

"You're lucky I took off that god-damn rosary, Inuyasha, or I would have sat you into oblivion. And if that's how you really feel, than FINE!"Kagome yelled, bursting out of the hut in tears. "You won't have to tolerate my presence anymore!"

Inuyasha stared at the empty doorway where his wife… no, she ended their marriage… where Kagome had stood, knowing he had gone too far. If only he could tell her that he still loved her and that he was only trying to prevent the vile Naraku from tearing them apart like he did with he and Kikyo.

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><p>Kagome entered Sango's hut, eyed flooded with tears.<p>

"Another fight?" Sango asked, not bothering to look at her broken down friend.

"…"

"So… Why are you crying? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"I know…" Kagome said, taking a seat. "But why does this have to be so hard?"

"You knew it would be when you made this decision. You said that it was the only way to protect him, and now you have to pay the consequences, no matter how much it hurts," Sango explained

"STUPID NARAKU! WHY DOES HE ALWAYS HAVE TO FUCK UP MY LIFE?" Kagome exclaimed.

"He messed up everyone's life, Kagome. There's nothing we can do about that now," Sango said calmly.

Kagome wiped the tears from her eyes. "How the hell do you manage to stay so- huh?"

"Kagome, what's wrong?"

"Something's coming."

Kagome rushed out of the hut and ran as fast as she could to the source of the disturbance in the field, only to be stopped in her tracks by the sight of a giant, silvery-blue orb coming out of the sky. _What the hell is that thing? And why does it possess so much… power?_ Kagome thought. She continued to run. A strong power had appeared out of nowhere and she needed to find out what it was. As she got closer to the center of the field, she noticed four strange figures and a small white-bun standing there, acting completely normal, as if they hadn't just fallen out of the sky.

"Who- Who are you and why are you here?" Kagome demanded.

"Now, is that any way to talk to poor helpless strangers?" The tall, blonde one asked jokingly. "My name is Fai D. Flourite, this one here is Syaoran-kun, the lovely young lady is Sakura-hime and the one giving me the evil glare is Kuro-rin!" He said grinning.

"IT'S KUROGANE-CHAN, YOU MORON!" Kurogane yelled, on cue.

"And Mokona is Mokona!" The small white-bun exclaimed. Kagome, confused as ever, couldn't help but laugh at the adorability of the fluffy creature that had jumped into her arms, snuggling into her chest.

"Well…uh… I'm Kagome Taish- I mean, Higurashi. Why don't you all come rest in one of our huts? You look like you could use some rest."

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><p>"So, may I ask why the four of you are travelling?" Sango asked, though not able to keep her eyes off of Mokona. The six of them (seven if you count Mokona, though no one ever seems to) were sitting in Kagome's hut, resting in front of the fire. Inuyasha had obviously run off somewhere after the enormous brawl.<p>

"We're writing a book of legends from different countries," Syaoran quickly stated… though he was too quick.

"Seriously? A book? Okay, I may not be the brightest girl in the world but I know a lie when I see one. Let me guess. Fai is the author, you are his assistant, Sakura is his younger sister and Kurogane is… uh…" Kagome said cockily.

"Kuro-puu isn't important!" Fai said with a giant smile, ignoring Kurogane's dirty looks. "How did you figure us out?"

"It wasn't that difficult. It was written all over your faces," Kagome giggled. "What are you _really _looking for?"

"Something important to Sakura-hime," Syaoran said vaguely. Kagome looked at him wanting a better answer… so he gave it to her. "It's feathers that hold all of her memories. They hold great power and if they fall into the wrong hands…"

"We definitely don't want that to happen," Sango added. "There aren't any feathers here, are there? We honestly don't want any more trouble here."

"Well… we don't know yet. Mokona-chan, can you feel any magic around here?" Syaoran asked.

The small Mokona concentrated hard. It was only a few seconds often when its eyes grew large and a funny _Mekkyo!_ Noise came out of its mouth. "I feel a really strong presence! But I don't know if it's a feather."

"There are no feathers in this world," Kagome said plainly. "I would have sensed a change in the area's balance."

"How can you tell?" Sakura asked.

"I'm a priestess. It's my job to know."

"Does that mean we can leave now?" Kurogane asked bluntly. "The sooner we leave, the sooner I can get back to my world."

"I guess so," Syaoran replied. "There's no need for us to stay if there's no feather."

"We really appreciate your hospitality Kagome-chan. And you as well Sango-chan," Fai said, making his way to the door with the rest of the group.

"Wait!" Kagome yelled, standing up and grasping onto Fai's hand. Both Kagome and Fai froze in their spots, unable to help themselves from staring deeply into each other's eyes, as if in a trance. Fai was the first to break the momentary silence.

"What is it?" He asked, confused at what had just happened.

"Take me with you!"

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><p>"Are you sure you want to do this Kagome?" Sango asked.<p>

"Yes, Sango. Travelling the country wouldn't be enough to keep Naraku away from the three of us. I need to travel to different worlds, then maybe he'll leave everyone else alone!"

"That's not the main reason, is it? Yes, you're worried about us, but the real reason you're leaving is that you're afraid to die," Sango explained. "Right?"

"Okay, yes! I'm scared as hell! I've never been so afraid of something in my life! I can't win against him so running is the only way. Besides, he's only after me, so I won't be the only safe one."

"I understand Kagome."

"Hey, if you two girls are done, Kagome has a wish to make," Kurogane interrupted. Kagome walked up to the travelers, looking very confused.

"A wish? What wish?"

"To travel worlds. You didn't think you'd do it for free, did you?

Kagome stared blankly at Kurogane, who just sighed in return. "White-bun, call Yuuko-san."

"Whose Yuuko?" Kagome asked, still very confused with the little information she had been given.

"The dimensional witch," Fai responded. "She grants your wishes, but you have to pay a price of equal value in return."

Fai finished speaking and a ball of pale-pink light shot from the jewel on Mokona's forehead, projecting the image of a tall, pale woman in the sky.

"Hello Moko-chan. What can I do for you?" Yuuko asked.

"Our new friend here has a wish for you," Fai said, with his usual large smile, showing the witch the nervous Kagome.

"Uh, hi Yuuko," Kagome began. "I'm-"

"I know who you are, Kagome-chan. And your wish. You wish to travel across worlds with the others in order to run from the one who has been after you for several years. I can grant this wish… for a price," Yuuko explained.

"Anything!" Kagome said, desperately. "Whatever it takes!"

"Giving up 'anything' is a risky price, and should never be done so easily… but if that is what you want, then your price shall be the memories of your younger brother."

"Kagome, don't do it. It's not worth it!" Kagome turned around to see a figure of white and crimson standing behind her. "The memories of your brother are all you have left of him! Don't give them up!" Inuyasha yelled, though he needn't.

"Why do you even care? He abandoned me, Inuyasha! He said that he never wanted to see me again, so he left. He blames me for their deaths and I can't live with that," Kagome yelled back. "So I'll do it. To get rid of those memories, of Naraku, and of YOU!"

"Your payment will be received in the next world. You are now able to travel with them," Yuuko said, interrupting the argument, and disappearing from the sky.

"Thank you, Yuuko."

"Fine Kagome! Just get up and leave. Not that I expected any different from you, wench! Have fun travelling with her, guys," Inuyasha shouted, now directing himself to Syaoran, Sakura, Fai and Kurogane. "It can be a real pain in the ass." And with that, Inuyasha ran off, away from the village and into the forest. Kagome dropped to the ground, trying not to shed another tear, though she was failing dramatically. Sango, being the great friend she was, immediately went to her side. The rest of the group only stood there, not knowing how to react and trying to make sense of what had just taken place.

"I'm fine Sango. Thank you," Kagome wept. "I guess I should get my things together."

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><p>Not even an hour later, Kagome stepped out of her hut in her typical middle school uniform (that somehow still fit) with her old yellow backpack, already to go.<p>

"You better have something to protect yourself with in that backpack of yours," Kurogane commented gruffly. "It'll be a rough trip and we can't be there to save your butt every five minutes."

"Nope… I don't!" Kagome replied cheerfully, holding out her left hand forming the bow of Mt. Azura, which was used many a time in previous battles. "But will this work?"

The travelers watched her in disbelief as it disappeared into thin air. _Great… Another magician._ Kurogane thought.

"Mokona, let's go," Syaoran commanded. Mokona rose into the air, sprouting long, white wings that appeared much too large for his tiny body. An oddly designed circle appeared under their feet and a flow of blue magic, similar to the orb from earlier, surrounded in waves. Kagome waved goodbye to Sango and looked over to the forest. Inuyasha stood there, staring at her. Kagome, not wanting to look at him, turned to face her new companions. The group then disappeared from the feudal era, and made their way to a new world.

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><p><strong>AN: So wat do you think so far? The travellers must think kags is a nut job after witnessing a fight with inu! Anyways, where will this journey take Kagome? And what will the new world have in store for her? What was that awkward moment between her and Fai? Will update as soon as possible. Reviews are welcomed and encouraged!<strong>


	2. Signs of Struggle

**THANK YOU TO THE PEOPLE WHO TOOK THE TIME TO REVIEW THIS STORY... AND TO MY READERS AS WELL. ;)  
>I DO NOT OWN INUYASHA OR TSUBASA<strong>

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><p>Through the Gate<p>

CHAPTER 2: Signs of Struggle

A blue orb fell from the sky of Koryo. Syaoran, Sakura, Fai and Kurogane, along with their new companion, Kagome, bursted from the orb, landing on an old travelling cart. They appeared in the middle of a heated argument between a small child and a very large man.

"You will pay for that, Chun'yan-kun! My father possesses the power of the secret arts and he will get his revenge," the man threatened, stomping away in a huff.

"You tell your father that I'll be waiting!" the girl, known as Chun'yan, yelled back.

"Excuse me, miss," Fai said, trying to get her attention. Chun'yan turned around to see the strangely dressed travelers standing in front of the broken cart.

"Who are you?" Chun'yan asked. Fai gave his introductions as he did in the feudal era, but adding one more. He also explained why they were all there, though leaving out some key details.

"You all must be tired. Why don't you stay at my home for awhile?" She suggested. The travelers couldn't refuse such an offer so they gladly accepted.

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><p>"So, you are all from different worlds?"<p>

"Yes. I know it sounds weird, but it's true, though sometimes I find it hard to believe myself" Kagome said. "So, what was the deal with that guy you were yelling at?"

"Ugh… That monster's name is Burugaru. He and his father recently came across this strange power source and took over the palace. His father has claimed the position of the emperor… by force of course. No one liked his new reign so many fought to bring him down. My own mother was killed trying to stand up against him."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Chun'yan. Losing a mother is—what's that noise?" Kagome exclaimed, listening to the roaring, windy sound coming from outside. Kagome shot up and headed outside, the rest of the group following her. Everyone turned around to see a small cyclone strike the wooden roof of the house and leave again, leaving behind a gaping hole in the roof.

"That was no ordinary wind," Syaoran stated.

"That was the emperor's secret arts," Chun'yan replied. "He's been out for me since my mother was killed. But he shouldn't be a problem for too much longer. The secret agents will soon be here, and when they are, the emperor will be taken down!"

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><p>The next day, Syaoran, Sakura, Mokona, and Chun'yan went out to town to get information on the emperor and on Sakura's feathers. Fai volunteered to fix the roof with the unwilling Kurogane's help. Kagome had decided to hang around the house, wanting to help the two as much as she could.<p>

"MAGICIAN! Why the hell did you volunteer us to help? I'm doing ALL the work while you just sit there talking to your new friend!" Kurogane shouted, pointing to Kagome.

"Because you look like you're having fun, Kuro-pii!" Fai retorted, laughing slightly.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! IT'S KU-RO-GA-NE!"

Kagome wasn't paying attention to the _boy's _constant bickering. She was staring off into the slowly setting sun, in her own little world.

"The others aren't back yet…" Kagome stated, sighing.

"Shall we go look for them, then?" Fai suggested.

"You two can go on ahead. I'll stay here in case they come back. I can even finish the roof if you want."

"Alright, then. We won't be too long, Kagome-chan. Let's go then, Kuro-pan!" Fai cheered, hopping off the roof, once again ignoring Kurogane's loud remarks on his silly nicknames.

Kurogane and Fai went into town to search, leaving Kagome behind to finish up. A couple of hours had past and only a few boards had remained, though she wasn't quite able to finish. The emperor's son, Burugaru, appeared from the distance and approached the house with his followers, who were holding lit torches with furious looks on their faces.

"What do you freaks want?" Kagome demanded, sliding off the roof, landing on the ground to face them.

"We came to burn Chun'yan's little house into the dirt. Her taxes are overdue and we don't tolerate procrastination. Especially HER'S!" He said, looking smug.

"Ha! Like I'm stupid enough to let you do that!" Kagome focused her spiritual energy and made a large, pink barrier that surrounded the house and her, keeping the others out. "Let's see you get passed this!"

"I wouldn't have said that if I were you," Burugaru said, looking up towards the sky. Kagome glanced in the same direction and saw the same cyclone from before heading to her barrier. The cyclone made a harsh strike against it, forcing Kagome to stagger backwards a touch. She was having enough trouble keeping a barrier this large up alone, so she didn't need an outside force making it even more difficult for her. It was a battle of strength and it wasn't ending well.

"You don't stand a chance against the power of the secret arts! You might as well give it up now!"

"Yeah, when hell freezes over!" Kagome retorted.

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><p>Fai and Kurogane made their way back to the house, with no luck in finding the others. Kurogane, as usual, was making a huge fuss about it.<p>

"I'm sure they're fine, Kuro-rin. Let's just get back quickly before anything happens to—" Fai paused, staring at the faint, pink barrier in the distance, around where Chun'yan's home resided. "Kagome-chan…"

The pair ran as fast as they could in the direction of the house. As it began to come into view, they could just barely witness the cyclone striking Kagome's barrier with brute force, and Kagome, who was struggling to keep it up, and to stay standing. Within seconds of witnessing this, Kagome's barrier had shattered, sending her off her feet and falling hard on the ground, knocking her unconscious. Burugaru's gang stepped over the girl's body, throwing their torches onto Chun'yan's front step, causing the fire to spread alongside the house.

Fai and Kurogane sprinted over to the scene as the criminals left the site of the crime. Kurogane did his best to douse the slowly spreading flames with whatever he managed to find. Fai, on the other hand, immediately went to Kagome's aid, kneeling beside her and putting her head on his lap.

"Kurogane-san! Fai-san! Kagome-san!" Syaoran yelled from the distance with Sakura and Chun'yan running beside him. Chun'yan stopped in front of Fai and Kagome, watching Kurogane put out what was left of the flames. Her house only suffered minimal damage, but that wasn't the point.

"It was him… wasn't it?" Chun'yan asked, shivering with rage.

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><p>Kagome awoke in a small, pale room. She noticed that she was in a change of clothes, similar to her priestess gown, and put into a soft, warm bed. Fai and Sakura were sitting on either side, waiting for her to open her eyes. Mokona was snuggled under the covers beside her, not noticing her shift her position.<p>

"W-what happened? Where am I?" Kagome asked, slightly dazed.

"You were attacked and knocked unconscious," Sakura responded. "If it wasn't for your barrier, you could have been seriously hurt."

"What about Chun'yan's house?"

"It's in one piece," Fai replied. "Kuro-tan put it out just in time."

They paused.

"Feh, some priestess I am," Kagome said, attempting to sit up. "I can't even put up a half decent barrier."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Fai said calmly. "At least you really tried. Besides, none of us knew you could do something like that. It was amazing!"

"He he… there's a lot you don't know about me… Hey, where are Syaoran and the others?" Kagome questioned, searching the room for the three missing figures.

"Syaoran-kun and Kuro-wan are getting ready for the castle raid tonight."

"Castle raid?"

"Mokona said that there's a feather inside the castle, so we're going to try to get inside and take it. At the same time, the villagers will get back at him for all he has done to the town," Fai explained.

"'We' meaning I'm going to, right?" Kagome asked, though she didn't mean it as a question.

"Wrong. It's too dangerous… and especially with what happened yesterday!"

"That's just some barrier issues that I've had for years, but it'll be different! I'll be ready this time!" Kagome meant business and wasn't going to take no for an answer. Nobody was going o insult her abilities and get away with it.

The emperor and his son were going DOWN!

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><p>Syaoran, Kagome, Kurogane and Fai stood in front of the castle gates. The villagers who were planning on coming to help were too frightened to do so, but that didn't matter. They were going to get that feather… no matter what. (Insert Yu-Gi-Oh song reference here….which I do not own :P)<p>

The four entered through the large metal doors and began to walk down a long corridor that didn't seem to have an end.

"Stop," Syaoran demanded, stopping the other three from walking on even further. "We've been here already. I dropped a coin not too long ago, thinking this would happen, and we just passed it again." He said, picking it up and putting it back in his pocket.

"What do we do now?" Kagome asked.

"Kuro-wan, can you break down this wall for me? Fai asked, pointing to the wall beside him.

"I TOLD YOU TO STOP CALLING ME THAT!" In his rage, Kurogane punched down the wall where Fai had originally intended him to. Fai only stood there, smiling, knowing that Kurogane fell for his dirty little trick.

"How'd you know where to break it, Fai?" Kagome asked.

"Intuition, I guess," Fai said plainly.

"I broke the wall… Now what?" Kurogane grunted, not liking the idea that Fai was able to get the best of him so easily.

"I have been waiting for you, my insects," said a shadowy figure in the back of the room that Kurogane had just opened.

"Who the hell are you?" Kurogane demanded.

"I… am Kiishim." The woman appeared from behind the shadows. She wore a slim black and purple robe, and a pale face with spider-like fingernails on the tips of her fingers. A blue orb shaped crystal lay in the center of her forehead. "I have been ordered by the emperor to keep you here and destroy you!"

As she spoke, the room changed in appearance. The new room was filled with crumbling, stone platforms with pink acidic 'bubbles' floating in the air and a bright pink liquid, taking its place as the floor. Kiishim was safe from these items on top of a sturdy stone platform, under a wooden roof.

"This is no ordinary illusion. Any injury you may receive here are completely real." Kiishim laughed with an evil tone. The pink orbs then flew towards the four, trying to dissolve them in an instant.

Syaoran jumped from platform to platform, avoiding all of his obstacles with great agility. Though as he was about to land on a smaller platform, it suddenly disappeared, causing his leg to plunge into the acid below. Before it could dissolve, Syaoran managed to jump back quickly to a safer location, though he didn't go uninjured. Kurogane and Fai stood in place on their platforms, only moving their heads or ducking swiftly when something flew their way. Kagome, on the other hand, wasn't in the mood for a game of dodge ball, so she went in for the attack.

Kagome jumped from stone to stone swiftly, (which she had previously learned to do from Inuyasha) completely unaware of her surroundings. As she headed towards the small roof in which Kiishim was under, she didn't seem to take notice that the acidic 'bubbles' had grown in size, attacking Kurogane and Fai ferociously, or that Syaoran had escaped through the ceiling.

"So, it is you who chooses to challenge me? This is your first AND last mistake," Kiishim chuckled. "This should be amus—" Before she could continue, Kagome had conjured up her bow and arrow, shooting one of her sacred arrows at her, snapping the string off of Kiishim's earring, causing it to clink onto the floor.

"Why you ignorant little bitch! Be a good insect and DIE!" Kiishim yelled, now ignoring Fai and Kurogane completely.

Now that Kiishim was targeting Kagome, the pink death 'bubbles' (I'm sorry… I had to!) started attacking her specifically. Kagome dodged the attacks as best as she could, though with not near as much grace as the others, and eventually slipped. A bubble struck her wrist as she fell, sending her bow into the acidy river, dissolving it completely before she could make it disappear.

"My bow! Okay… now I'm pissed. That bow meant a lot to me!" Kagome shouted, standing up, trying to attack her once again.

"Kagome, DON'T MOVE!" Kurogane yelled, forcing her to stop in her tracks.

Kurogane soared through the air towards Kiishim with a long, broken pole in hand. With his quick movements, he made a slashing motion towards her and the jewel on her forehead cracked and fell to the floor. Before Kurogane had the change to move again, Kiishim forced herself in his arms, and quickly and unexpectedly kissed him kindly on the lips.

"What the hell was that for?" Kurogane asked, blushing; ignoring the humorous noises coming from Fai and Kagome who were standing right behind him. "And you two, SHUT UP!"

"That was for releasing me from that vile emperor's grasp," she replied, as the environment changed back into the cold, dark room inside the castle. "And now I can get my revenge!" She continued, disappearing into a black void that she had created.

"Well it looks like our Kurgi has an admirer!" Fai said, bursting out in laughter with Kagome. "Ha ha… let's go find Syaoran-kun."

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><p>Kurogane, Fair and Kagome ran down the hallway and into a large room where, not only Syaoran and the emperor were, but Chun'yan, Sakura and as well, Kiishim, who was pulling the emperor into her void, as he screamed out for mercy. None was shown.<p>

"Aw… Did we miss all the fun?" Fai asked, still laughing from Kurogane's kiss.

Syaoran walked up to Sakura, giving her a feather that had a strange heart pattern imprinted on it. The feather had entered her body and Sakura collapsed, with Syaoran catching her without hesitation.

"Sakura!" Kagome gasped, running towards her and Syaoran, not expecting her to fall.

"Don't worry. She'll be fine, Kagome-san. She's exhausted," Syaoran said, not taking his eyes off of Sakura.

* * *

><p>"So, you have to go?" Chun'yan asked, staring at her feet.<p>

"Yes, we have a lot more feathers to collect," Syaoran replied. "Thank you for letting us stay with you."

"It was no problem. But promise me you'll come back again someday!"

"We promise." Sakura smiled

"So Kagome-chan, what did you mean when you said 'there's a lot we don't know about you'?" Fai asked.

"Oh, don't worry about it too much," Kagome smiled, avoiding the question as best she could. Fai, of course, thought otherwise, deciding to confront her later about the secrets she was hiding.

"Let's go, Mokona!" Syaoran exclaimed.

"Yay! Mokona Modoki ready to go!" Mokona shouted. "Ah…. PUU!"

The magic circle had appeared like before and the group was taken to a new world.

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><p><strong>AN: WELL THAT WAS FUN... EVERYTHING WORKED OUT JUST FINE FOR THE GROUP... OF COURSE... IF YOU SAW TSUBASA CHRONICLES OR READ THE MANGA... YOU'D ALREADY KNOW THAT... HAHA ;P. SO WHAT IS KAGOME GOING TO DO WITHOUT HER BOW? SHE MAY BE TRAINED TO FIGHT WITH A SWORD, BUT SHE DOESN'T EXACTLY HAVE ONE. AND WHAT OF FAI? HE SEEMS TO HAVE TAKEN A LIKING TO HIS NEW COMPANION.<strong>

**OH AND I THOUGHT I'D MENTION THAT THIS STORY WILL ONLY REALLY FOLLOW THE TSUBASA PLOT FOR ANOTHER CHAPTER OR SO... THEN ITS ON TO THE 'INTERESTING' STUFF**

**REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED!**


	3. Secrets and Lies

**Hey readers, I am SOOO sorry for the HUGE delay of this chapter. It was finals, then graduation, then I left for another province (which I am still in) and internet access can be difficult to get sometimes. That and the people who I am staying with love to keep me busy and off the computer.**

**Sorry Again and I hope you enjoy!**

**I do not own Inuyasha, or Tsubasa, yadayadayada**

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><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 3: Secrets and Lies

Trees were everywhere in the looked. It appeared as if the group had all landed in a large forest. It also seemed as if there were no near-by villages or people around to find out where they were. The only some-what significant information the group had was the large, almost pure lake with a glowing aura in the middle of a clearing.

"What do you think it could be?" Sakura asked, slowly approaching it and looking to Syaoran for an answer.

"I... don't know," Syaoran replied, looking puzzled, which wasn't a look he wore very often. "Mokona-chan?"

Mokona focused on searching for the feather, turning a golden-yellow color. "Mekkyo! There's something down there! But I don't know if its a feather or not."  
>Without a second thought, Syaoran dove into the depths of the lake, in search of Sakura's feather.<p>

"Well there he goes again," Fai said, "Is he always this reckless, I wonder."

"You don't know?" Kagome asked him, thinking about why he didn't already know something like this about his friend.

"It's kind of a long story. Sakura-chan, why don't you and Kuro-puu go set up camp?" Fai asked.

"Mokona will help too!" Mokona cheered as Kurogane and Sakura walked into the woods. Fai and Kagome took a seat on a rock facing the glimmering lake.

"*Sigh*... So why did she have to go too?" Kagome questioned.

"Because the princess isn't allowed to hear what I am about to say," Fai said softly.

"I'm listening..."

"Well, the four of us are actually complete strangers, brought together by a wish to travel across dimensions, though for different reasons. Kurgi was sent out of his own world. He isn't allowed back until he learns the meaning of 'true strength.' Of course, he didn't like it, so his wish was to return to his own world. Syaoran-kun and Sakura-chan are travelling to collect her memories that were scattered across the different world, though you knew that already. And my reason is the same as yours, Kagome-chan. I am travelling because I wish to stay as far away as I can from my own world," He continued.

"Is going home really that bad?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Fai retorted, looking Kagome straight in the eyes, making her feel even worse about herself than she already did. He continued to stare until Kagome spoke, quickly going back to the subject at hand.

"So, what part was Sakura not allowed to hear?" Kagome questioned, breaking the awkward silence.

"The prices. Kuro-tan had to pay with his father's sword; his most prized possesion. Mine was the tattoo on my back. I refuse to do magic without it."

"And Syaoran's?"

"His relationship with Sakura-chan."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that no matter how many feathers the princess collects, she will never remember who Syaoran-kun is, even though he was really important in her life."

"But that's not fair!" Kagome exclaimed.

"NO, it's not, is it?" Fai questioned to himself. "But now that i have explained our stories, what's yours?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why were so willing to leave your world, no matter the cost?"

"I don't remember what I paid so that doesn't matter, but I just couldn't stay there anymore."

"And why not?" He asked, standing up.

"Why does it matter to you?" She shouted, standing as well. Both Fai and Kagome's voices seemed to get louder each time they spoke.

"Because, whatever it is is really hurting you! Moko-chan even said that you were feeling upset, and even more lonely than the four of us!"

"So your going to listen to a white bunny-thing? Why do you even care? We barely know each other!"

"Because-"

"What's all the racket about?" Kurogane asked emerging from the trees, interrupting what Fai was about to say.

"Oh, nothing," Fai responded, changing back into his cheery voice and heading towards the forest. Kurogane just shrugged his shoulders and went back to camp.

"We'll finish this later," Fai whispered to Kagome as he passed.

As he left, Kagome dropped to her knees, following Fai with a blank stare. She was completely dumbfounded of what he had just said to her. Oddly enough, the short argument between them made her feel different than any of the ones she had with Inuyasha, a good different. Thinking back, she sort of realized that Fai wasn't trying to pry, or be an annoying mut, but that he actually cared enough to ask what was wrong and why. Fai cared about her and she hated him for it. Kagome also thought back to the trance they had when they were in the feudal era; remembering how she could help but gaze into his sapphire eyes, hanging on to his small wrist.

Was she really?

No...

She couldn't be...

Whatever she felt at the moment didn't matter though. Kagome knew that she would have to tell everyone about her past eventually, but when? What would they say when she did? What would they think of her?

* * *

><p>The group had taken a seat in front of the warm fire. Sakura had fallen asleep again under one of the trees. Syaoran, who arose from the lake with no luck of finding her feather, was watching her with such great intensity that it seemed as if he would slaughter anyone who went near her. Fai was also staring at a girl, though it was Kagome rather than Sakura. He wasn't going to drop their little conversation so easily so he waited for the perfect moment to bring it up again. The four conscious members of the group sat in silence. There was nothing to be said that hadn't already been or, in Kagome's case, hadn't wanted to be. Fai, tired of it, found is moment and finally spoke up.<p>

"So, Kagome-chan, since you are the newest member of our little group, and we know nothing about you, why don't you tell us your back-story?" He asked smirking, now trying to see how she was going to change the subject.

"Oh you don't need to know my past... It's not all that interesting anyways," She said cheerfully.

"Neither is Kurgerburgers, but we listened to his!"

"HEY!" Kurogane growled, unsure if he should be more mad at the nickname or at the back-story comment.

"Syaoran-kun, would you like to hear her story?" Fai asked, nudging him in his side until he gave in.

"If I say yes, will you stop?" He asked, rather annoyed.

"Mmm...Maybe." Fai laughed. "Okay Kagome, you may begin whenever you're ready."

Kagome gave Fai an evil glare; receiving and 'I told you so' look in return. Now that Syaoran and Kurogane were on board (well, more or less) there was nowhere to run and no way to change the subject.

*Sigh* "Fine! I give up!" Kagome took a deep breath and began. "It all started on my fifteenth birthday..." Kagome explained of when she first fell down the bone-eater's well; of the sacred jewel; of Inuyasha, her friends, the battle with Naraku; all the way up to her wedding. Though she shortened it drastically by ignoring facts like Kikyo's story, minor battles, Sesshomaru and most other figures that didn't feel like explaining.

"So what you're saying is... you fell down a well, landing in another world, which set off a chain of events that _somehow_ led you to defeating an evil spider and marrying... a dog?" Kurogane asked, trying to piece all of this insanity together. But there was something about his tone that seemed fake… as if he already knew.

"Yeah... something like that," Kagome chocked out, trying not to laugh at his strange but true accusations.

"You're not finished, are you?" Fai stated. "So far it's been a 'happily-ever-after' situation, but that's not how it appeared when we first met you."

"You know, something aren't meant to be explained, Fai. You should know all about that," Kagome whispered with her lowered enough so they couldn't see he eyes.

Syaoran, noticing her tone, changed the subject quickly, and began speaking of what he had seen in the lake, not taking his eyes off of the hurt Kagome. Kagome tuned him out completely and wrapped her arms around her legs, thinking of her past. She thought of Inuyasha, her friends, but mostly of her mom.  
><em>I'll tell you everything... but I'm not ready just yet. Just wait a bit longer and it will all make sense.<em>

* * *

><p>As the sun rose the next morning, the travellers awoke one by one, only to be completely blinded by the light.<p>

"Is it morning already?" Sakura asked yawning. No one answered her though. The only ones around the extinguished campfire was herself and Kagome, who was still sleeping peacefully.

"Syaoran-kun? Fai-san? Kurogane-san?" She called out, waking up Kagome in the process.

"Huh? What's wrong Sakura?" She asked, sitting up.

"Oh... It's just that... I woke up and nobody was here. It sounds silly, I know."

"Nah, I did it all the time back home. They're probably just exploring or something. No need to worry Sakura," Kagome said half asleep with a smile.

"Um, Kagome-san, why do you only call me Sakura? I don't mind it at all, but everyone else calls me princess or Sakura-hime."

"In my world, we don't use those endings. I mean if you want me to call you princess or something..." Kagome said.

"No it's fine. I like it. Is it alright is I just call you Kagome then?"

"Of course! Its sounds kind of weird to me with the –chan and -san parts on the end anyways." The two of them smiled and began to laugh.

"You two seem to be getting along well," Syaoran said, walking towards them, soaking wet.

"You went back under?" Sakura asked, still giggling slightly.

"Yes... and I didn't find a feather, princess. It was only a fish scale, which is where the light was coming from," Syaoran stated with a bit of guilt in his voice. "I'm sorry Princess."

"It's alright Syaoran-kun. We'll find one in the next world, right, Moko-chan?"

**So yeah this chapter was a little fluffy but next one will progress the story a little bit. I hope to get it up as soon as i can. Reviews are welcome… Hell they're encouraged. And thanks to all my readers/reviewers/everyone else whom I would not have continued without!**

**EDIT (April 3rd, 2012): Just went through this chapter again, as I have done with previous chapters, fixing small errors, spelling mistakes, name endings, etc. I realised in this chapter that at the part 'She thought of Inuyasha, her friends...' I accidently put 'Of Souta' there as well. Whoops! Kagome doesn't remember even having brother any more! My bad!**


	4. Answers

Through the Gate

Chapter 4: Answers

"Welcome to a new world!" Mokona cheered as the travellers landed on the ground bellow. They noticed that they had appeared in a very large city; buildings everywhere in sight. The streets were filled with speeding cars, innocent pedestrians and a LOT of different sounds and noises.

"Where are we now?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know. Maybe if we look around a bit," Syaoran said.

The group wandered through streets and alleyways for a few hours or so, not having a clue where they were headed, until they reached a bluish-grey house that had giant holes in its walls with a roof that was almost completely fallen in, which struck a nerve in Kagome.

"What's wrong, Kagome-chan?" Fai asked, looking at her disturbed expression.

"It's... this house..."

"Yeah yeah... so the people here are too damn lazy to fix it or tear it down. It's sad... what of it?" Kurogane asked gruffly.

"This house feels so... familiar. This whole city does..." Kagome sighed. "Oh well. I guess it's nothing. Let's keep going."

"MEKKYO!" Mokona exclaimed. "I sense a feather! And it's close by too!"

"Show us where!" Syaoran demanded.

The travellers ran down the street as fast as their legs would take them, turning a street or two under Mokona's direction. It didn't take long before that had arrived at the bottom of a long stone stairway which seemed to lead to an old shrine.

"Is that where the feather is?" Syaoran asked, sounding almost desperate for an answer. Mokona nodded giving the group the cue to continue up the stairs. Only Sakura seemed to notice Kagome frozen in her spot.

"Kagome-san?"

No reply. Kagome continued to gaze at the shrine gate atop the stairway.

"Earth to Kagome-chan!" Fai shouted, waving his hand in front of her face. _Was she always like this?_ He asked himself.

"Hmm? Oh... sorry," She replied, though still not fully paying attention.

Are you alright? You've been acting odd ever since we came to this world," Syaoran stated from the top of the steps.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tired I guess," She said, continuing her way up.

After the 'issue', the group had reached the top to see a beautiful two story, old-fashion Japanese home that seemed to be in perfect condition. A small shrine shop and a well-house were to the left of it. While the rest of them were in awe, Kagome gazed immediately to the right, where a tall oak tree, guarded by small wooden fences, lay. Etched in the bark was a diamond shaped scar that didn't seem to really belong on the tree. Under it, were two grave stones, each with an inscription on it in another language.

Still in a daze, Kagome slowly stepped towards the tree, the others following closely behind her, except for Syaoran who ran on ahead.

"WOW! This tree must be over five hundred years old!" Syaoran exclaimed, having no idea how correct he actually was. "And this scar... I wonder how it got there," He said, inspecting every last detail he could find.

"Syaoran-kun really likes his history, eh Kagome-chan?" Fai asked, thinking Kagome was beside her. He didn't notice her step further and place her hand on the tree, just below the scar.

"And there graves really add a nice touch!" Syaoran continued, examining the inscriptions."I wonder what they say..."

Kagome stiffened.

"The left grave says 'beloved grandfather'. The right says," Kagome started, a tear falling down her cheek. "... Mother."

Fai's eyes widened. He knew exactly what was wrong. Sakura and Syaoran still looked as if they were trying to piece it together but Kurogane just stopped caring ages ago.

"This is your home... isn't it?" Fai said softly. Kagome turned to face him, her eyes flooded with tears.

"Kagome-chan."

Fai took a step forward, opening his arms for her embrace. Kagome continued to cry into Fai's shoulder, hanging onto the fluff of his coat, unable to stand any longer. Her knees gave weigh, bringing Fai to his knees as well, but he didn't mind. He wasn't letting her go.

"I'm sorry Kagome-chan," Fai whispered, a tear falling down his own cheek. It hurt him to see her like this and it would give anything to see her radiant smile again.

"I'm so sorry."

* * *

><p>Kagome was sitting against the sacred tree, calmed down from before. Fai was still by her side, unwilling to move unless she wanted him to. Syaoran, Sakura and Kurogane sat on the wooden fences while Mokona was resting in Kagome's lap.<p>

"I guess now is as good a time as any to finish my story," Kagome said plainly.

"Only if you feel you can," Fai said, being a lot more understanding than before.

Kagome nodded.

"After the wedding, Inuyasha and Miroku were sent to a far away village that had been threatened to be attacked, leaving Sango and I at home. About a week or so later, Inuyasha returned home earlier than expected without Miroku. He was acting really strange but I didn't really think anything of it. He cursed at me, told Sango that Miroku wasn't coming home and on top of that, he wouldn't sit!"

Everyone stared at her with funny looks on their faces, not knowing the significance of the word 'sit'.

"Uh... ignore that last part... But what was weirdest was that he wanted to live with me in this world. I should have known then that something was up. Inuyasha hates this world and always has. Damn it! I am such an idiot!" Kagome shouted to herself.

"Why?" Sakura asked. "What happened?"

"Well, we moved into a house only a couple of blocks from here. When I was about to... never mind... he wasn't my Inuyasha. It was Naraku!" She continued.

"What? I thought he was dead!" Syaoran said, quite surprised.

"So did I! But it turns out that the Naraku we killed was some guy named Onigumo, though I was never told that story. The next thing I know is that I'm gasping for air with Inuyasha and... Some other person crying over me and... My mom..." Kagome quivered. "The house we saw earlier was where it all happened. To make it all worse, when I got home that evening, my grandfather had-" Kagome began to tear up again. Fai moved in closer and rubbed her back, trying to comfort her again.

"One thing led to another and it's a year later. I ended up pretending to fight with Inuyasha, though he wasn't pretending. It was stupid of me to even think that hurting him would keep Naraku away from him, saying that he was only after me in the end. Then you four come along and, in the state of mind I was in, who wouldn't pass off the opportunity the hell I called a life?" She continued. "And, well... you all know the rest.

"Wow..." Kurogane began. "That is the- STUPIDEST thing I have ever heard!" Kagome flinched. "Who in the right mind would be idiotic to do half the shit you pulled? I mean, come on Kagome! You're smarter than that!"

"KUROGANE-SAN, SHUT UP!" Fai yelled, causing Kurogane to freeze in his tracks along with waking up Mokona.

_He. Used. My... Real name..._

"No Fai, he's right." Kagome began to shake. "I was a naive idiot who got my mother killed and ruined my own life."

"I wish there was something we could do," Syaoran said, trying to do some comforting of his own, though it was harder than it looked.

"No, it's alright Syaoran. I've been managing okay," She said, now wanting to change the subject. "Off topic here, but Mokona, didn't you say that there was a feather here?"_Shit... Wrong subject_ she thought.

Mokona sat up and nodded. "Yup! And it's in that tree behind you!"

_No!_

Kagome froze, eyes opened wide. Syaoran glimpsed at her expression and frowned.

"Mokona, you have to be mistaken! There can't be a feather there! Anywhere but there!" Kagome shouted, now on her feet.

"Nope! Mokona's sure. It's in the big tree. Mokona's sorry, Kagome."

Kagome looked at Syaoran who turned his head to avoid it. Then she looked to Sakura. The princess who truly owned the feather. Kagome realized that her memories were much more important.

"I have to give it up don't I?" She asked, though already knowing the answer. "I guess you need the feather more than the tree does, Sakura. So you can have it, even if it means..." Kagome turned to face the tree once again. "Inuyasha, mom, I'm sorry."

She placed her hand close to the scar as it glowed a pale pink.

_MEKKYO!_

A feather appeared from inside the scar and floated blissfully into the priestesses hands. She closed her eyes, not wanting to witness her sacred tree slowly shrink and shrivel as its leaves darkened and turned to dust. When she opened her eyes, all that was left was a lifeless black shell of her Goshinboku. Kagome then approached Sakura, giving her the feather that was hopefully worth the loss. She could feel more tears start to swell in her eyes as Sakura once again fainted into Syaoran's arms from the feather's power.

"Kagome," Kurogane said sternly. "You already knew there was a feather there, didn't you."

"No, of course not. I-" Kagome stopped. Kurogane was giving her an even harder glare than ever. He figured her out. _Typical Kurgi_ "Yes. I did," she said, hiding her eyes once again. Syaoran stared at her, not knowing what to think.

"And you lied to us about there not being a feather in your other world," Kurogane continued.

"...yes," Kagome replied hesitantly.

"Why, Kagome-san?" Syaoran asked, looking hurt. "You knew how much it meant to the princess yet you still hid it from us?"

"I did it because if the sacred tree dies here, it would be painful, yes, but time would keep going as normal," Kagome explained. "If I let you take the feather from the feudal era, then I would lose a lot more than just the Goshinboku. Time itself would have been affected."

"So that means I don't need that feather, right?" Sakura asked, waking up during Kurogane's accusational speech. "I mean if it's the same feather, then it doesn't matter!" She said, smiling at her friend.

"Well then, no harm done!" Fai said cheerfully, wanting to change everyone's mood. "So Kagome-chan. Are there any more secret feathers you would like to share with us?" He asked jokingly and Kagome knew it. She laughed in return.

"Nope, I am feather-less! Mokona?"

"All clear!" Mokona replied.

"Can we leave then?" Kurogane grunted.

"Wait," Kagome said, looking towards the well house. "I want to check something first."

"Hurry up, then,"

Kagome walked into the well house, sliding the doors shut behind her. She went slowly down the steps taking a deep breath and sat on the edge of the well. The door suddenly slid open and Kurogane came into view.

"Hey 'Gome," He greeted, sliding the door almost shut, so a begging Fai could hear.

She smiled. "Hey Kurgi."

"You haven't called me that in years."

"I haven't seen you in years. So is that why you get so worked up when Fai calls you that? It's because I called you that?" Kagome asked.

"Only you are allowed to call me Kurgi or anything like it. I'll slaughter anyone else who even tries!" He responded, taking a seat beside her.

"Except for Fai."

"Yeah... except for Fai. I- uh... wanted to apologize for earlier. I shouldn't have said what I said."

"Don't worry about it. I deserved every word of it," she said, leaning into him slightly.

"So where were you all those times I tried to visit you?" Kurogane demanded. "I waited three years before giving up! Your friends told me every time that you were in this world, but you never came back."

* * *

><p>"What are they saying?" Syaoran whispered, leaning closer to Fai, who was peering in through the crack in the door.<p>

"Kuro-puu and Kagome-chan... knew each other?"

* * *

><p>"Really? For three years? Then how the hell did you get back?"<p>

"That is still a mystery to me," Kagome replied, giggling. "Not that I really cared at the time."

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha, there you are!" Sango yelled, running up to the well. Inuyasha, unknowingly, was sitting in the very same spot as Kagome was in her time.<p>

"I've been here," he sighed. "Sango... she's there I know it, but I can't go after her."

* * *

><p>"Are you going to be alright?" Sango and Kurogane asked, concerned about their friend.<p>

"I'm fine... But it's taking everything I have not to jump into that well," Kagome and Inuyasha said in unison.

* * *

><p>Fai stiffened.<p>

"What's wrong, Fai-san?" Sakura questioned him.

"She wants to go back home..."

* * *

><p>"Thanks for the talk, Kurgi. I mean it."<p>

"Anytime 'Gome," said Kurogane, not even wincing at the sound of 'Kurgi'.

The two of them walked back up the steps and out the door.

"You guys were spying on us weren't you?" Kagome asked the 'Hyuu-ing' Fai.

"Of course not! That would be rude! So are the two of you BEST FRIENDS ready to go?" Fai laughed.

"YOU _WERE_ SPYING ON US!" Kagome yelled.

"Mokona Modoki ready to go!" Mokona cheered, ignoring the bickering. "Ah, PUU!"

"We're only friends," Kagome whispered to Fai.

"I know." Fai smiled, trusting her fully.

The usual magic orb enveloped them and the travellers were sent off to their next adventure.

* * *

><p><strong>THANKS FOR READING! AND THIS CHAPTER WOULD MAKE A LOT MORE SENSE IF YOU READ CROSSING OVER WHICH COMES BEFORE THIS. IF NOT, THERE IS A LINK ON MY PROFILE. And no, this isn't a KuroXKag fanfic. They are only friends<strong>

**REVIEWS ARE ENCOURAGED!**


	5. Friends Reunited

Chapter 5: Friends Reunited

"Welcome to a new world!" Mokona exclaimed once again.

The group glanced around to see that they were standing in the middle of a large, old-style town. The roads were all made of stone, the roofs of the buildings were all shingled with wooden beams, and the civilians wore traditional dresses and suits, depending on the gender.

"Where did you take us this time, fur ball?" Kurogane asked gruffly.

"Ah! Welcome to Outo country!" A group of girls cheered, running towards the group with their arms spread open. The four girls, dressed in black dresses and white aprons, threw themselves upon the five, hugging and squeezing every breath out of them.

"What the hell is going on?" The ninja cried.

"They're answering your question, Kurgi!" Kagome laughed.

"Oh, are you new here?" One of the girls asked, releasing her victim along with the other three.

"Yes, we've been travelling and we-" Syaoran began before being interrupted by another girl.

"This won't do! You have to register at town hall immediately!"

And before the travellers knew it, the five of them were being dragged off somewhere into the unknown town.

* * *

><p>"Welcome to town hall. How may I help you?" The pink haired receptionist asked Fai and Syaoran. The pair took the liberty of registering, giving Kagome and Kurogane plenty of time to catch up in a more positive manor.<p>

"I don't know how Miroku's doing at the moment, last time I saw him, he was walking out on Sango and their children. He said he wanted to travel worlds to find something greater in life, though nobody believed him at the time," Kagome explained. "I guess he wasn't as crazy as we thought. Sango is doing better now though especially since her kids are a bit older. The twins are five or six and Sake… he's only two but he's grown up so much. He's just like his mother."

"Why the hell did they name that poor kid 'Sake'?"

"Miroku's idea…"

"Makes sense…" Kurogane sighed. He wasn't sure if he was more annoyed with the Monk's actions, or amused.

"Fai-san, wait! Please don't!" Syaoran protested, waving his hands in front of his face.

"What's wrong, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked in concern.

"I'll go see," Kagome replied. She stood up from the benches they were sitting on and headed over to the front desk. "Syaoran, what's the matter?"

She froze and her eyes widened. Kagome looked over to Kurogane as a large smile stretched across her face. When he gave her a confused look in return, she cracked, unable to contain her laughter any longer.

"What's so funny?" He demanded.

"N-nothing!"

"Ahem," Fai coughed, clearing his throat to catch their attentions. "I got us a place to stay for the night. Syaoran-kun said that we can cover the costs by selling our clothes from the previous worlds."

"Great, I'm exhausted!" Kagome yawned, stretching out her arms.

"Oh yeah… because all of that talking is _really_ exhausting," Kurogane said sarcastically.

"Shut up Kurgi…" She snapped in return.

"I can see why the two of you are friends!" Sakura noted watching the two bicker.

* * *

><p>The travellers opened the doors of their new two-story house. The main entrance was a grand room with a single counter at the back with a window to the kitchen behind it. A door leading to the living room was to the left, and on the right resided a staircase to the second floor. It seemed that the home may have been a restaurant of sorts to the previous owners.<p>

"This place is amazing, Fai," Kagome exclaimed.

"It is, isn't it…?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's great. So what now?" Kurogane asked impatiently.

Fai looked out the window to see the brilliant orange skies as the sun began to set. "Well, considering that the day is almost over, why don't we relax for tonight?" Fai suggested. "What do you think Syaoran-kun?"

"If it is alright with the princess, then its okay with me I guess," He replied.

"Uh huh! I think it sounds great!' Sakura said.

They all took a seat in the fully furnished living room. Being short a seat or two, however, Kagome sat on the floor between Kurogane and Fai's feet, refusing to take Fai's place on the couch. Syaoran began to speak of their next move on finding Outo Country's feather, only to be interrupted by a questioning Mage.

"Err- Kagome-chan, Kuro-puu, how exactly do you know each other?" He asked the pair.

"Do we really have to do this? It's sort of… complicated," Kurogane complained.

"Not really, besides, I can do all of the talking if you want," Kagome said.

"Ugh… Fine."

"Well, back when I was hunting jewel shards, the five of us came across the Kingdom of Nippon. _(AN: Is it Nippon or Nihon?) _And with our _great_ timing, as always, it just so happened that Princess Tomoyo needed help. We didn't know it at the time, so as soon as we stepped within the gates, Kurgi here grabbed me and told me that I was needed at the palace," Kagome explained.

"I didn't grab you!" Kurogane shouted, defending himself from her judgement until he received a glare from the priestess. "Well… okay, so I grabbed you. But I had a good reason! Tomoyo needed your priestess abilities because that Naraku guy had warped her own. They weren't working as they should have been."

"I know, Kurgi. I was just teasing," Kagome said, patting him lightly on the knee. "Anyways, Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango were distracted by the guards while he took me to the palace. On the way, he acts like a complete JERK… though it didn't faze me too much at the time, being used to Inuyasha's attitude already.

"When we get to the throne room- I guess you would call it that- and… uh… I don't really remember what happened after that."

Kurogane sighed. "It doesn't really matter after that. All that was important was that you helped Tomoyo, I calmed down, we became friends and I was given permission to visit you in your village every once in awhile," Kurogane continued. "Until _someone_ stopped going down the well!"

"We've been over this! I couldn't get through!" She retorted. "Anyways… that's pretty much it!"

"So, you two are from the same world?" Sakura questioned to clarify all of it. The two nodded in response.

Fai then began to snicker at this reassurance.

"What the hell is so funny, Mage?" Kurogane bursted.

"When we met Kagome, we were in your world all along… and you didn't know it!" Fai laughed.

Kurogane's face drained of all color. "I… I."

"It's alright, Kurgi. You didn't know it was me at the time so there was no way you could have known," Kagome said in attempts to comfort the distraught ninja.

"Great! Now my night is ruined! I hope you're happy mage!"

"Actually, I am ecstatic, Kuro-woof-woof!"

. . .

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? I am going to murder you, mage, and put an END to those stupid nicknames!" Kurogane yelled standing up to strangle the blond magician. Unfortunately for him, however, Fai was quick to his feet and ran into the other room before the ninja could even flinch.

"You have to catch me first!" Fai cheered from the other room.

But their game of cat-and-mouse ended before it had begun as the lights flickered, eventually extinguishing completely.

"Syaoran-kun, what's going on?" Sakura asked, clinging onto his arm.

"I don't know…" He replied, standing up from his seat.

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard from the other end of the room as a pane of glass from the window smashed; its shards flying across the room.

"Agh! What's happening?" Kagome cried as Fai shielded her face from the flying shards. The group's attentions turned to the large, broken window. A great, dark creature was standing in its place, readying itself for an attack. The creature then began to change; its long, limbless arm transforming into that of a blade. Other than this, there were no real distinguishable features. It appeared to merely be a shadow.

The shadow swung its blade at the group, slicing the couch in half just after Kagome, Fai and Kurogane were able to dodge out of the way. Syaoran stood up, rather annoyed of the creature, and began his assault.

Jumping into the air, Syaoran kicked at the shadows head, only to be blocked by its blade, being forced back to the ground. Before he could move again, the blade struck, just narrowly missing his arm, leaving a single cut on the side of his shoulder.

'Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried from behind the protective Kurogane. Without his sword, protecting the princess was all he could do.

The boy was almost frustrated now, determined to take down his opponent. He launched himself into the air again; this time dodging the swipes made by the shadow. Positioning himself into the correct stance, Syaoran lifted his foot and brought it down on the shadow's head with a great impact, destroying it instantly. He then landed back on the ground on one knee taking quick breaths of exhaustion.

"Is it… gone?" Kagome asked, stepping out from behind Fai.

"Looks like it," Fai answered her, walking over to Syaoran and patting him on the shoulder. "Good work Syaoran-kun!" He cheered.

"We can go to town hall and question this tomorrow," Syaoran stated, brushing off the compliments. "For now, I think we should all go to bed."

"Finally!" Kurogane shouted, storming out of the room in a huff. Sakura giggled and followed him; Syaoran walking close behind her.

"Kagome-chan?" Fai called to her, stopping her before she left herself.

"Hm?"

"Another question… uh… how did you not recognize Kuro-pii right away? That sort of seemed odd to me," He questioned.

"It's been four or five years my world's time since I last saw him. Well, there's that and, I wasn't sure if he was the same Kurogane, with the whole travelling worlds thing," She explained with a smile on her face. "Why, are you jealous?" She joked.

"Now why would I be jealous of Kuro-tan?" He asked softly in a slightly deeper, more serious voice. The magician stepped closer and closer towards her, raising a hand and placing it gently on her cheek; tucking her hair behind her ear with the other.

Fai leaned in, slowly closing the little space between them. Kagome's eyes widened as she felt his lips press firmly against hers. Eventually, her own eyes closed along with his, kissing him back with just as much emotion.

The kiss felt as if it had lasted forever, though it had only been a minute before they parted again.

"F-Fai…"

"Good night, Kagome-chan."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I AM SOOOOOOOO SORRY TO <em>EVERYONE<em> FOR MY LACK OF UPDATES. MY WRITER'S BLOCK WAS HUGE! AND THEN I ALSO HAD TO FIGURE OUT HOW KAGOME AND KUROGANE KNEW EACHOTHER BECAUSE EVEN _I_ WASN'T EXPECTING THAT ONE (thanks to 91silver for the help with that one!). AFTER THAT, THE WONDERFUL CREATION OF SOUL EATER CAME INTO PLAY SO I BECAME OBSESSIVE OVER THAT AND NOW I AM WRITING TWO STORIES ON THAT.**

**NOW I AM IN UNIVERSITY AMD EXAMS ARE IN A FEW DAYS... SO (OF COURSE) UPDATES WONT CONTINUE UNTIL AFTER THE 14TH. BUT AFTER THEY'RE OVER, ALL 3 STORIES WILL BE UPDATED REGULARLY (when possible) I PROMISE. I EVEN HAVE A ROUTINE AND A SCHEDUAL MADE UP FOR IT.**

**ANYWAYS, SORRY AGAIN, BUT THANKS FOR READING, FAVE-ING, ALERTING AND REVIEWING. (and to answer one review's question: I am POSITIVE. this is a KagxFai fanfic. Kurgi and Kagome only know eachother and (after much revising) will become relevant later in the story.**


	6. Hidden Tears

**Yes I'm alive! I honestly don't have any new excuses for you except the usual university stuff and yadayadayada.. I've actually had this written for while now, but I've been just too busy to type it up. Exams are coming up mid April, then I'm finished school until september. Meaning more time for writting, even with the job I'm being forced to get!**

**Anyways, it's another sad chapter, but it is supposed to be a romantic tragedy type of story so...**

* * *

><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 6: Hidden Tears

The next morning, Syaoran, Fai and Kagome awoke and set out for town hall first thing, leaving Kurogane and Sakura alone to sleep. Kagome, however, didn't seem quite up for the task, no matter how much she protested.

"Are you sure you are up to going, Kagome-chan?" Fai asked her. "We only need to ask about what happened last night. Why don't you go back to bed?"

"No, I'm fine. I just found it hard to sleep last night," She replied, rubbing her eyes. They looked slightly puffy, tinged pink, as if she had been crying the night before.

"Err, alright then. Are you ready to go Syaoran-kun?"

"Yes."

* * *

><p>"Welcome back, you three!" Sakura greeted as the trio re-entered the house a few hours later, taking a seat at the nearby counter.<p>

"Any news?" Kurogane asked someone curiously.

"Apparently there are more demons around the town like the one last night, but it was strange that it attacked the house last night," Syaoran briefly explained. "Usually they only attack demon hunters."

"Demon hunters, huh? Sounds interesting…" Kurogane commented.

"I thought you would say that, Kuro-puu," Fai said. "Syaoran-kun signed up to be a demon hunter, but since you have to be in a team of two, I signed you up as well!"

"Oh yeah? And what are you doing you lazy, good-for-nothing mage?" Kurogane shouted angrily.

"Easy now Kuro-pii!" Fai teased. "I'm going to turn this place into a café, with all of this extra space, in order to find out more information on Sakura-chan's feathers."

"Fine… and what about you, Kagome?" The ninja asked, lightening up his tone as he directed his attention to her. "I guess you're going to be a demon hunter too?"

Kagome shook her head. "No. There's actually a place not too far from here that peaked my interest. I can also try and find information there as well," She answered. "Actually, I should head over there now and ask about it."

"Did you want me to come with you?" Fai asked almost eagerly.

"Err- no. I-it's fine… I know where it is and I shouldn't be too long," She said awkwardly, standing up and heading to the door.

"Oh, alright. S-see you later… then," Fai said as the door closed behind her.

"Is Kagome alright?" Sakura questioned. "She was acting oddly this morning as well."

"I don't know. It couldn't have been from… could it?" The magician mumbled to himself.

"From?"

"Nothing." He smiled as usual, brushing off his hidden thoughts.

"She's lonely," Mokona mentioned, suddenly emerging from inside Kurogane's kimono, ignoring his usual angry remarks.

"What do you mean, Mokona-chan?" Syaoran asked.

"Kagome was lonely before, but now she is even more alone than before for some reason," Mokona explained. "Something happened last night to make her want to go home even more."

Fai lowered his head slightly, his bangs covering his eyes. _Could it have been?_

* * *

><p>"Kagome's awake! Kagome's awake!" Mokona cheered as she entered the café from her room, rubbing her eyes, looking exhausted once again.<p>

"Hnn… what time is it?" She asked, still half asleep.

"Noon," Fai laughed.

"What? How could you let me sleep so late?"

"You looked exhausted and could have used the rest," Kurogane stated.

"Still…"

"MEKKYO~!" Mokona exclaimed, opening its mouth as its eyes widened; a golden sphere suddenly erupting from its mouth and landing on the table, transforming into six small chocolate cakes.

"What are these Mokona?" Syaoran asked.

"Chocolate fondant from Yuuko!" It cheered. "For Valentine's day!"

"This is really good, Moko-chan!" Sakura said as she, Syaoran and Fai popped a piece in their mouths.

"Your turn, Kuro-puu!" Mokona cheered.

"No thank you…" He replied harshly.

"Oh, Kuro-pon~!" Fai sang, patting him twice on the head.

"Wha-" Before Kurogane could say anything; a forkful of chocolate fondant was shoved into his mouth by none other than the magician himself. "What the hell is your problem? The ninja growled.

"Kagome, don't you want to try any?" Mokona asked in an adorable, child-like voice, muffling out the background arguments.

Kagome merely stared at it for a moment before shaking her head. "No thanks, Mokona. I'm not hungry," She replied quietly, forcing a smile, though it didn't fool the white-bun, or the magician for that matter.

"Please stop being sad Kagome," Mokona said suddenly.

She stiffened, her eyes widening at its words. But before anyone could notice, Kagome recollected herself, forcing another smile. "I'm fine Mokona. You don't have to worry about me."

Mokona frowned, but didn't press any further on the subject.

"Anyways, are you ready to go Kid?" Kurogane asked Syaoran, standing up from his seat.

"Where are you going?" Kagome asked the pair.

"Town hall," Syaoran responded. "We wanted to get some more information about the demons as well as Sakura-hime's feather."

"Have fun!"

When he was sure they were gone, Fai finally spoke up. "Sakura-chan, why don't you go and get some rest? You look like you could use it."

"Uh, yes," Sakura agreed, yawning before heading upstairs with Mokona in her arms.

"That poor girl has been through so much…" Fai sighed before drawing his attention to the girl sitting across from him, completely ignoring the strange looks he was receiving in return.

"You seem troubled, Kagome-chan."

"Drop the 'chan' part already. It's annoying," She groaned. "It's only you and Syaoran who use it. Even Mokona stopped using it."

"Force of habit," He smiled. "But don't change the subject."

Kagome felt a scowl slip through her lips. "I'm fine… Just a little homesick. That's all."

"I see… Mokona said the same thing… So, err- why didn't you become a demon hunter, just out of curiosity. You are a great fighter," Fai commented.

"Other than the 'team of two' rule, I wanted a change of pace," Kagome explained. "Back in my world, I was constantly fighting off some sort of demon and I'm getting tired of it."

"I suppose that makes sense. Did you end up getting that other job you mentioned after?"

"Yes, a position at the Clover club down the road a little bit. I start tomorrow."

"Hmm…" This wasn't good. He needed to get her to open up again somehow. Something was hurting her inside and he wanted to do his best to fix it. But before he could dwell on his thoughts any longer, the silence was broken by the sound of laughter.

Her laughter.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"You!" She giggled, receiving a confused look in return. "You have this serious look on your face, when only a minute ago, you were joking around, shoving cake down Kurgi's throat! 'Serious' doesn't suit you so well. It looks funny!"

"Hehe… I guess you're right," He replied. _At least she's laughing for real._

"Hmm… I think I might try that fondant now… It's too tempting," Kagome joked as she stared down the last piece.

"I thought you weren't hungry."

"I lied!" She said as she took a small forkful.

Fai couldn't help but begin to chuckle to himself as she took a bite.

"What?"

"Now it's you that's making _me_ laugh."

"Huh?"

"You're different, Kagome-chan. Not like the other girls I knew back in Celes," He said calmly. "Good-different," He added quickly, receiving a displeased look.

"Thanks, I think… and it's Kagome! Ka-go-me!" No 'chan'."

"Sorry…" He finished speaking again, allowing her to finish eating as he merely stared in admiration, for what reason, he did not know. But soon after, he spoke again, regaining his serious tone.

"Listen, I know you wish to return home again, but… you should give travelling a real chance, and not just because it was your wish. I mean… it was inevitable that we would all meet, so you should at least try to enjoy yourself."

"I do enjoy—"

"Not as much as you could. We can all tell that most of your joy and excitement is false. I know it's hard sometimes but…"

"Fai, please don't…"

"I'm sorry for being so persistent, and I am probably the last person who should be criticizing, but it's like I said before," He continued, taking a hold of one of her hands. She stiffened at his touch; a small gasp managing to escape. "You're different. I'm not the kind of person who attaches himself to someone, but… I can't help but care about you."

"Fai…" She could feel herself inch towards him. No matter how much she told herself to stop, he body continued to lean as his did the same. Before she knew it, her lips were upon his once again. It felt so right, yet at the same time, Kagome knew it was wrong.

What about Inuyasha? She still loved the hanyou… didn't she? No, she couldn't do this. Finally regaining control of her body, she forced herself away, her face turning pink.

"No. This isn't right. I-I can't. I'm sorry," Kagome whimpered.

"Kagome?" But before anything further could be said, the front door swung open as Kurogane and Syaoran entered the café, accompanied by two strangers.

"I'm going to kill you Mage!" Kurogane yelled, approaching Fai with a murderous intent.

"What's wrong, Kurogane-san?" Sakura asked, re-entering the room.

"He just found out the names Fai-san gave us when we registered the other day," Syaoran explained.

"Oh..." Sakura giggled.

"I'm serious, magician. You're dead!" Kurogane threatened again.

"We can play later, Big Dog," Fai said almost in a whisper.

"Huh? What's wrong with you?" He asked him before turning to Kagome who avoided his questioning glance.

"What happened while I was asleep?" Sakura asked the pair.

Neither answered.

"Mokona knows!" It cheered as it bounced around. "Mokona snuck out of bed to see those two making kissy-faces, but it made Kagome unhappy."

Hearing Mokona's words, Kagome stood up abruptly and turned away. "It's getting late. I'm going to go to bed," She choked out, doing her best to hide the tears as she left.

"Sorry about that," Fai said, quickly reverting to his cheerful mood as he addressed the strangers. "I guess we should introduce ourselves. I'm Big Cat and this young lady is Little Cat. The other girl that was just here was Little Bird and I guess you already met the dogs," He continued.

"Yup! I'm Yuzuriha and this is my partner, Kusanagi," The female said; her partner nodding as he was addressed.

Yuzuriha, appearing to be no more than sixteen, had short, black hair and wore a short school-girl uniform which resembled that of Kagome's. Kusanagi, on the other hand, was much taller than his partner, bearing a similar stature to Kurogane.

"Nice to meet you," Fai mumbled passively.

* * *

><p>A few hours had passed and Kusanagi and Yuzuriha made their leave. Syaoran was in Sakura's room with Mokona, taking watch once again. Kurogane was being his usual self, sulking about over his new 'pet name'. Fai was about to head to bed himself, until he heard whimpers and cries emitting from a passing room. Stopping in front of the door, the magician took note to who it was- Kagome.<p>

He wanted so much to enter the room and be there to say everything would be alright, but hesitated to even knock on the door, knowing that he would be the last person that Kagome would want to see. Instead, he merely stood there in front of the closed door, listening to her sobs.

"It's the third night in a row…" Kurogane said, stepping behind the magician.

"The third night?" Fai questioned, turning to face the ninja.

"Nn…" Kurogane nodded.

_So it was my fault…_ Fai thought. _Ever since I kissed her that night… I'm sorry, Kagome. I never meant to hurt you._

"Mage…" Kurogane continued, seeing the guilty expression on Fai's face. "What did you do?"

"I don't know what you're-"

"Save it. If you hurt her in anyway, you won't hear the end of it… if you will even be able to hear by the time I'm finished with you," He threatened, before walking briskly to his own room and slamming the door behind him.

"I-I under..stand," Fai whispered to himself, leaning back against the door and falling to the ground in defeat. He allowed a sniffle to pass before his own tears began to fall, sobbing quietly along with the girl he never meant to hurt.

* * *

><p><strong>Let me know what you guys think so far! And i will do my best to get this one up super fast! Already have the layout done. I have a test and an essay due on friday so I'll work on it over the weekend. I also have another essay due next friday, but two of my classes are cancelled next week so I'll work on that then.<strong>

**I expect that the travellers will be done with Outo most likely next chapter. I don't want them spending too much time there, especially because of the world that comes next.. not spoiling though**


	7. Tears, Music, and Love

**Damn. Missed my personal deadline by a few hours... oh well. It's up and I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 7: Tears, Music and Love

Kagome awoke from her bed the next morning full of energy, despite the fact that she had barely slept the night before. Checking her face in the mirror, she had decided that she looked well enough to face the others without their worrying remarks. But as she opened the door, to her surprise, Kagome discovered the blonde mage fast asleep against the door frame in the same clothes as the day before.

_Was he there all night?_ Kagome wondered, kneeling down beside him.

"Fai, wake up," She said softly, giving his shoulder a light shake. "Come on Big Cat. You open the café today."

"Huh?" The magician mumbled, stirring himself awake. "Wha- how did I…" Fai questioned himself, taking note of his surroundings. "Why am I on the floor?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Kagome responded, though having a general idea what the answer was. Shaking her head at him with a smile, the girl stood up and headed to the staircase. "Oh, and Fai?" She called, stopping just before the top step.

"Hm?"

"It's… not your fault…" She said in an almost cheerful tone. She gave the blond one last grin before continuing down the stairs.

_It… isn't? Then what— _Fai groaned to himself, leaning his head against the frame with his eyes closed. _I'm confused…_

* * *

><p>"Welcome to the Cat's Eye!" Sakura greeted as the next customer entered the café. It was around mid-day and the new café was packed full of customers. Sakura was learning quickly on the job as a waitress while Fai worked behind the counter.<p>

"Well, I'm leaving now too!" Kagome said to hard working pair. Syaoran and Kurogane had left only an hour before to City Hall. Now it was her turn to go to work. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Have fun!" Fai replied. "Sakura-chan, you two are close; do you know what she does?" He asked after the princess finished serving her last customer.

Sakura shook her head. "No, I don't"

Fai sighed to himself but soon shrugged it off as he had a café full of people to feed.

A few hours had passed and the final customer of the day had paid and left as the two 'Dogs' returned from their trip.

"Mage, you and I are leaving," Kurogane stated.

"Aw, no 'hello, how are you,' Big Dog?" Fai teased, leaving an annoyed expression on Kurogane's face.

"Sorry Fai-san," Syaoran began. "We would still actually be gone but I'm not old enough to enter the Clover Club. But we need to get in there to speak to someone about the level one demon."

"Clover club, huh?" Fai questioned, recalling what Kagome had told him the day before. "Alright, let's get going then. Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan, do you think the two of you could look after the place while we're gone?"

"Yes,"

"Mokona will help too!" The white bun cheered, hopping onto Sakura's shoulder.

* * *

><p>The front door of Clover opened as a limping Fai walked in, supported by the greatly annoyed ninja. Leading the magician to the bar counter, Kurogane sat him down forcefully beside a tall girl with long, black hair.<p>

"This better have been important enough for me to drag this far," Kurogane growled.

"Oh don't be silly Big Dog. You know you love to carry me around!" Fai joked.

"Fai, Kurogane? What happened?" The woman asked, turning to reveal herself as none other than Kagome.

"I was nothing, Kagome!" Fai cheered. "But it's nice to see you here! I had no idea you-"

"Save it!" She snapped before turning to the ninja. "Kurgi?"

"We ran into a couple of demons and this idiot got himself beat up," He explained harshly.

"I merely sprained my ankle," Fai said passively, waving it off with an indifferent look.

"So what brings you to Clover?" Kagome finally asked, deciding it best not to argue with the man, knowing full well he would win.

"We need to speak to some lady named Oruha," Kurogane replied.

"Oruha should be going on stage any second- oh there she is now," Kagome said, looking to the small stage to the right of the bar.

Oruha, dressed in a bit a long, black dress and long, curly black hair, stepped up to microphone mid-stage. The piano then began to play as she opened her mouth to sing.

_Toki no mukou, kaze no machi e  
>Nee, tsurete ite<br>Shiroi hana no yume kanaete_

"She has a beautiful voice," Fai noted as the song continued to play.

"Yeah…" Kagome sniffed. "She really is."

_Amai yubi de kono Te WO tori  
>Nee, tooi michi WO<br>Michibiite hoshii no  
>Anata no, soba e<em>

"Kagome, are you… crying?" He asked.

"N-no… W-why would I?" She questioned, rubbing her eyes while the piano continues into the next verse.

_Sono utagoe taenai hiru sagari  
>Mezamete futari WA hitotsu Ni nari<br>Shiawase no imi WO hajimete shiruno deshou  
>Tsurete itte…<em>

The piano moved into a small solo as Oruha ended the verse, echoing throughout the club. Other than the music, all that could be heard were the light sobs of Kagome.

"I'm fine," Kagome whimpered, trying to reassure the disbelieving mage. "This song just brings back memories."

"Good ones… or bad ones?" Fai asked, wrapping an arm around her, allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder.

"Bad ones…"

_Sono utagoe setsunaku takara kani  
>Subete no kokoro Ni hibiku no deshou<br>Shiawase no imi WO shirazuni nemuru yoru Ni…_

A background chorus then began to sing in what sounded like a made up language, soon making its way into a violin solo, allowing Kagome to recollect herself.

"This was the song that played at my mother and grandfather's funeral," Kagome explained, sitting up. "But you already know that story."

"It's amazing how even music resurfaces in each world as people do," Fai commented, giving Kagome a compassionate smile.

"It is… isn't it," She added, wiping away the last of her tears, a genuine smile appearing on her own face.

_Mada shiranai yume no mukou  
>Nee, tooi michi WO<br>Futari de yukeru WA  
>Kaze no machi e<em>

The song closed with the piano again with Oruha leaving the stage following a line of applause.

"Oruha, that was amazing!" Kagome complimented as the singer joined the trio at the bar.

"Why thank-you, Kagome. But I do believe it is your turn to sway the crowd," She replied.

"Oh, right!" Kagome exclaimed, standing up in a hurry. "Oh yeah, um… my friends wanted a word with you."

"Get going! And good luck!"

"Good luck?" Kurogane questioned her.

"Yes. She has a remarkable talent, but even still. A first performance is never easy. Now you boys had something to ask me?"

"Yeah, we were told that you were the one who met the…" Kurogane began, but Fai gradually tuned hi, out as his attention turned back to the stage.

_Performance, huh?_ He thought to himself as Kagome took a seat at the piano, now centered on the stage. Her fingers moved gracefully among the ivory keys as she began to sing a slow, ballad-like song. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, giving the reassurance of what he truly felt inside.

He was in love with Kagome.

Kagome's song came to a close all too quickly for the mage as the club filled with applause once again.

"Well, I have said all that I can on the subject," Oruha finished as Fai was finally broken out of his love-enticed trance. "I think it's time for me to head home."

"I'm finished here too," Kagome added, rejoining them at the counter. "I guess we can all head back together."

"I will see you next time, Kagome. And well done," Oruha remarked as the trio headed out; Fai, once again, being supported by Kurogane.

"That was beautiful, Kagome," Fai complimented. "We never you could sing… or play that piano-thing either. It's a good thing I bought one earlier today."

Kagome's eyes lit up. "You did? Really-" She stopped in her tracks, focusing in on something rather seriously.

"What's wrong?" Kurogane asked.

"Something's wrong…" She stated. "At the Cat's Eye!" Kagome suddenly broke into a sprint back towards the café.

"Hey, wait for us!" Kurogane called after her. Sighing, he picked up Fai and through him onto his back. "It will be faster this way." Was all the ninja said to avoid any further 'love to carry him' teasing from the magician.

The Cat's Eye quickly came into view as Kurogane caught up to Kagome. Syaoran and Sakura were standing outside with Yuzuriha and Kusanagi, along with a younger boy and…

"Souma?" The ninja asked, dropping Fai as they reached the café.

"Ouch! Little Bird! Big Dog is being mean to me!" Fai whined playfully.

"Get up!" Kagome laughed, lending him a hand, almost forgetting why they were in such a hurry.

"I'm sorry. You have the name right but I'm afraid I've never seen you before," Souma protested.

"Oh… you're not her…" Kurogane mumbled as if his spirits were just crushed.

"What happened here?" Kagome asked. "I thought I sensed something wrong."

"A demon attacked but _I_ took care of it!" The young boy, Ryuu-ou, said cockily.

"Whatever, Ryuu-ou. We'll see you later, Little Cat!" Yuzuriha cheered, waving to Sakura as she left with the others.

"Kurogane-san," Syaoran said with a serious tone as soon as Sakura headed inside with Mokona. "Will you teach me how to fight?"

"Why should I?"

"I cannot defeat the stronger demons without a sword, and I need to be able to do so to get Sakura-hime's feathers back."

Kurogane sighed. "Fine. We'll head to the weapon shop in the morning."

"Hey, if you're going, I'm coming along," Kagome interjected, still supporting the mage. "I am currently bow-less, and I have tomorrow off so…"

"Then it's settled."

* * *

><p>"Ah, customers. Welcome to my little shop," Chanan, the shop keeper, greeted. "How may I be of service?"<p>

"We need a weapon for of each of us," Kurogane answered vaguely.

"I see. Assistant!" Chanan called. Soon after, a small boy with short, black hair and beady eyes entered from the back, holding three swords.

"Souhi, a long sword for the skilled ninja," The keeper said, handing the first sword to Kurogane. "Hien; a sword of fire. It suits you well, boy," He went on, handing the second to Syaoran. "I see you have never wielded a sword before. Use it wisely."

He then turned to Kagome, handing her the final sword. "You master in the art of the bow, yet you are well practiced in the sword, am I correct?" Chanan asked her.

"Err, yes."

"Then this is perfect for you. Tetsuzura- the shifting sword. It is a sword of strength, but as well a bow of spirituality."

"How does it change?"

"You will learn in due time."

* * *

><p>"Did you replace the bow?" Fai asked Kagome as she returned to the café.<p>

"Uh… sort of," She replied, holding up the sheathed katana.

Fai let out a slight chuckle. "A sword, huh?"

"Well at least I _can_ fight!" She teased. All you do is dodge around and throw darts at people."

"That's not fair!" Fai whined. "First Big Dog is mean to me… and now you, Little Bird!" He went on, whimpering like a small child.

"Hey Fai?" Kagome questioned, taking a seat at the counter in front of the mage.

"Hm?"

"I think… I will give it a chance. Travelling – I mean," She said, giving him a small smile.

"I'm glad," He responded flashing a smile himself, causing a tinge of pink to appear on Kagome's cheeks.

"Um… about the other night…"

"You don't have to say anything."

"Yes, I do," She interjected. "Before I felt like… I was betraying Inuyasha, but… I don't think I was," She went on, missing the wince from Fai at the mention of her past lover.

"Being with you, it feels right, and I can't let my past get in the way of that."

"K-Kagome?" Fai's heart was pounding. Was Kagome saying what he thought she was saying? Did she really feel the same way?

"What I'm trying to say is… F-ai, I-I think I'm in lo-"

But before she could finish, the café doors swung open.

"Welcome," Fai said automatically, starring at the man in the doorway. The man had an ominous aura surrounding him and his dark blue cloak. Almost instantly, Fai knew he wasn't to be trusted. "On second thought, maybe you could come back another time."

"Sorry, but I'm looking for the demon-hunters. Are they here?"

"Fai, I have a bad feeling about this guy…" Kagome said to him.

"Do you? Well you're right to have one," The man smirked, opening his cloak, causing a giant black demon to appear behind him.

"Kagome, get back!" Fai exclaimed as he jumped onto the counter, pulling put a set of darts. Kagome nodded and ran to Sakura's side, who was sleeping peacefully on the couch.

_No, I need a bow!_ Kagome thought as she unsheathed her sword. Suddenly, it granted her wish, glowing a bright pink and shifting into a long bow; and arrow appearing in her other hand.

"Who the hell are you?" She demanded, readying the bow.

"The name is Seishirou," He answered, sending his demon to attack the magician first. Fai was too quick for it however, dodging it with ease and landing back on the counter.

"You are a magician, yet you do not use magic. Do you wish to die?" Seishirou asked. "Ah, that's it, isn't it?"

"What?" Kagome questioned, allowing the arrow to falter slightly. "Fai, is that true?"

"It was… but a Dog convinced me to give life a chance…" He answered truthfully.

Kagome was speechless, unconsciously lowering her bow, dropping her guard in the process. This did not go unnoticed by the demon.

"Kagome, NO!" Fai yelled in horror as the demon struck.

The demon had taken advantage of her moment of weakness and had gone for the attack. Blood began to pool around the body that now lay on the ground, a giant hole pierced through her chest. Fai made his way over to Kagome quickly, lifting her into his arms.

"F-Fai… I wanted to say… I t-think I'm in l-love with you…" She choked out, drawing her final breath before she disappeared in his arms.

"K-Kagome…" Fai stood up, and turned to face the demon, for once, angered by his opponent's actions. But before he knew it, everything went black.

* * *

><p><strong>All you Tsubasa fans out there can probably guess what's going to happen next :P<br>A lot went on in this chapter and I know I went out of order and skipped quite a bit, but I need to get them out of Outo and into the next world, which is super important!**

**A few notes:**

**Tetsuzura= Tetsusaiga (Inuyasha's sword) and The Bow of Mount Azura. Thought I'd mix the two :)**

**When Kagome is playing her song, I pictured her playing Yui Makino's Ao no Kaori or Amrita, or Mizu no Akashi by FictionJunction WAKANA. But you can picture whatever you want her to play. (Don't worry. This isn't turning into a song-fic. I only added Kaze no Machi e for effect)**

**Finally, my friend and I were talking about this chapter of the story the other day and she questioned me how Kagome was able to get into a bar, let alone work at one at the age of 15. And when one person has a question, usually there are others who have the same one.**

**Here's how it goes. **_**Inuyasha**_** begins when Kagome is 15. Up to near the end of the Final Act, I like to believe a year or so had passed because there is NO WAY all of that could have happened in less than that, which brings her to 16. Add three years when she is stuck on her side of the well, bringing her to 19 (drinking age in Canada). A year from the start of the story = 20. And though we don't really know how long they have been travelling, I'd say she's about 21 at this point. So yeah... she can get into the bar.**

**Anyways, let me know what you think! Your opinions matter a lot to me! I'll get the next chapter written as soon as I can!**


	8. All a Dream

**I honestly didn't have much inspiration to type this chapter. It's short and filler to get them the hell outta Outo and into the next world. But on the plus side, chapter 9 and 10 are written and chapter 11 is started. I can't wait to share the next 2 chapters with you! It's going to be a fun ride! Anyways, onto the bs of a chapter!**

* * *

><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 8: Just a Dream

_Was it all… just a dream_? Fai asked himself as he was forced awake by a loud tapping on glass. Taking a quick glance around, he took notice that he was inside a small capsule of sorts, and the knocking coming from…

"Kagome!" He shouted as the capsule opened. He had never felt so relieved as the girl of his dreams stood before him bearing a bright smile. "You're safe," He said, jumping out of the capsule and bringing her into his embrace.

"I- I thought…"

"Fai, I'm fine," Kagome laughed, separating herself from the magician's tight grip.

"Err- where are we?" He asked, taking another look around. Hundreds of capsules identical to his filled the lab-like room. Four of them still contained Syaoran, Sakura, Kurogane and Mokona.

"I don't know. I thought I had…" Kagome mumbled. "Does that mean you…?"

Fai nodded. "Shortly after you, but for us, none of that seemed to be real."

"Well… there was _one_ part that was real…" Kagome said, averting her eyes; cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"You mean," Fai's face lit up, but before Kagome could catch it, he shook his head, smiling to himself. "So it wasn't a dream after all. I'm so glad." He said to himself. The pair fell silent for a few moments, unsure of what to say or do next, especially since neither had any idea where they actually were.

_Come on, Fai. Say it!_ The magician thought. _Tell her!_

"K-Kagome?" He began as he stood closer to her, holding onto her hands. "I-"

"I thought I heard voices in here!" A woman called, entering the room in a hurry.

_So close…_

"You are Big Cat and Little Bird, correct?" She asked, receiving a nod in return. "My name is Chitose, the owner of Fairy Park."

"Fairy Park?"

"Yes, a theme park running our most popular attraction: the Dream Capsules," Chitose explained. "Or as you know it, the Country of Outo."

"So… it was all just a giant video game?" Kagome questioned.

"A video game?" Fai asked, never hearing the term before.

"It's a virtual world where you can play as a completely different person and make up an entirely new life, which is why we were allowed to use aliases I guess," Kagome answered, receiving an amazed, yet shocked, expression from the mage. "What? We had a game system in the spare bedroom at home… though I never used it."

"Well I guess I can leave her to explain everything," Chitose said, turning away. "I need to do some checks on the system."

Fai nodded her off and turned back to Kagome. By the looks she was giving herself, she seemed quite troubled and rather confused.

"Kagome, is something the matter?" He asked.

"Something doesn't add up…" She whispered to herself. "The spare room... I think- I think it belonged to someone…"

_Her memories!_

"But it couldn't…" She went on. "It was just Mom, Grandpa and I, unless…" Kagome gasped. "My price!"

"Kagome, no," Fai warned, grabbing a hold of her shoulders. "You can't remember anything else."

"Fai, you aren't telling me something. Do I… Do I have a broth-" Her eyes widened as she took in another gasp. Before the magician knew it, Kagome was falling into his arms, unconscious.

"Kagome…" He sighed at the girl as her head lay against his chest. "Just like Sakura-chan…"

Just as he spoke, a sound of air releasing appeared behind him. Another had awakened from a dream capsule.

"You're finally awake, Syaoran-kun!" Fai cheered with the unconscious Kagome still in his arms.

"F-Fai-san, you're alive!" The boy exclaimed, sitting up from inside the capsule. "What happened? And what happened to Kagome-san?"

"She's only sleeping. Kagome tried to remember her brother, but-well… you know what happened," Fai explained, referring to Syaoran's incident with Sakura only a few nights previous in Outo. "And this is Edonis Country. Outo was merely a virtual world that-"

Another sound of air sounded as a second capsule opened, interrupting the magician.

"Sakura-hime!"

* * *

><p>It had all happened so fast. One moment, they were just waking up from Outo, and the next, Syaoran and Kurogane were thrown into battle with Seishirou as Outo and Fairy Park were merged into one, sending demons as well as the other hunters back into reality. All Sakura, Kagome and Fai could do was watch the battles unfold as they stood helpless; Kagome seemingly without her bow and Fai still refusing to cast his magic.<p>

"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura cried as Seishirou stabbed his sword at the boy who dodged it narrowly.

"I wish there was something I could do to help," Kagome said worriedly. This was the hardest battle Syaoran had encountered yet, and it was against his own teacher, making it that much more difficult. "But my bow… I left it in Outo."

"Don't worry about Syaoran-kun," Fai commented. "He won't die. Not until he finishes what he has to do, and besides, you're safer without your bow," He joked. "Every time you draw that thing, you seem to get yourself hurt."

"Hmph… wait," Kagome added. "I left it in Outo, but Outo is now here, so maybe…"

Kagome held out her hand and focused on summoning her weapon has she had done before, and before she knew it, a long, wooden object had appeared between her fingers: Tetsuzura. "Aha! Now I can he-"

"No, Kagome-chan." It was Oruha; the singer from Clover.

"O-Oruha?" The woman had lowered herself from battle after revealing herself as the number one demon.

"Kagome-chan, this isn't your battle. That Syaoran-kun must prove himself to his master and win this fight on his own," She explained.

"But Kurogane is-"

"Right here," He said, joining the group. "I've done my part in all of this. The Kid's just about done up there himself." Kurogane pointed to the sky to reveal Syaoran jumping from atop the roller coaster to a rock floating in the sky. Seishirou, who was standing on said platform, attempted to make his escape, beginning to disappear into the next world with a feather in his possession.

"Seishirou-san!" Syaoran yelled, grabbing a feather but a second too late as it, along with Seishirou evaporated.

"Oh and he was so close," Kagome commented.

"Damn…" Syaoran muttered, jumping down from the rock platform to join the group.

"It's okay, Syaoran-kun. You will get the next one," Sakura assured him as he approached.

Syaoran glanced around at his surroundings. Fairy Park was completely destroyed and demons were still wreaking havoc. "We're really sorry about all of this," He apologized to Oruha and Chitose.

"Don't worry about the demons! We'll take care of them!" Ryou-ou cheered, slashing through another demon.

"Yeah, we got it covered here!" Souma added. "Besides, I'm pretty sure your white-bun friend is ready to leave."

As she said, Mokona began to glow as wings once again sprouted from its back, ready to travel to the next world.

"I'll see you later, Little Cat!" Yuzuriha called out as the travellers gathered together.

"It's Sakura," The princess answered.

"You too, Little Dog!" Ryou-ou called as well. "It was fun!"

"Yeah, and the name is Syaoran!" The boy responded.

And with that, the group disappeared into the next world, unaware of the misfortunes to come.

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><p><strong>Oh and thanks to those who have reviewed! You make me want to write faster!<strong>

**Just a note: This week is the last week of classes and I'm going to spend a lot of time studying for exams. I'll get what I can posted over the week but after that, there wont be anything until mid april... unless I'm procrastinating, but then I give you full permission to yell at me!**

**Until next time! (And bring the tissues!)**


	9. Familiar Faces

**Here's the next chapter! And I am appologizing for what you are about to read ahead of time.**

**Not much to say this time except to the reviewer kenzkitty (I think I spelled it right): A couple of times you reviewed, you tried guessing what was going to happen next. All I can say is that each time I read the review, all that was running through my head was "Shit! She knows!" Either you are inside my head or I somehow know you and have told you what is going to happen next. :P**

**And thanks to all of you who have reviewed or even just read this story! Means a lot!**

* * *

><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 9: Familiar Faces

"Welcome to a new world!" Mokona cheered once again.

"White-Bun, are you sure this is a new world?" Kurogane asked.

"Uh huh! Mokona would know if we have been here before!"

"But it looks like…" Kagome began.

"Tomoyo's palace…"

There it stood: a grand, ancient-looking place in the center of the village the travellers had just arrived in. It looked exactly like Princess Tomoyo's palace of the feudal era, down to the last detail.

"I guess if Mokona says it's not…"

"MEKKYO!" The manju exclaimed, its eyes going wide, only meaning one thing. "There's feather nearby!"

"Take us to it," Syaoran demanded, receiving a nod from the manju.

"Halt!" A voice yelled before the group could move. "Don't move!"

They were surrounded. What appeared to be palace guards blocked off every way of escape as they raised their swords, pointing them at the travellers.

"Good day, err- officers," Fai began hesitantly. "What can we do for you?"

"You are all under arrest for the unauthorized use of magic," The leader proclaimed.

"Magic? But we-" Kagome questioned. "Do they mean Mokona?"

"Seize them!" The guards closed in, grabbing each one of them by the arms and pulling their hands behind their backs, which did not sit well with Kurogane.

"Get the hell off me!" He yelled, shaking off his captor with ease.

"Kurgi, just do what he says and see where they take us. We don't want to start a fight," Kagome told him.

"Smart girl," A guard chuckled, restraining the ninja once more. "Now come with us."

* * *

><p>"What is the meaning of this interruption?" The Lord of the palace demanded before stepping into the grand hall. Kagome froze at the sound of his voice, clutching Fai's wrist as soon as the guards released them.<p>

"Tha-that voice…" She whispered.

"Kagome, what's wrong?" Fai asked her.

"N-nothing."

The Lord finally stepped into the room, taking a seat before the travellers after the guards' brief explanations. "Unauthorized use of magic, huh?" He asked, scanning the travellers until his eyes caught a glimpse of the frightened woman. "Guards, leave us. These people mean no harm to us. From here on out, they are our guests, not criminals.

"I apologize greatly for this," The Lord went on. "My name is Naraku, the Lord of this palace."

Kagome's eyes widened at the name. She knew it. Naraku was standing right in front of her, bearing the same clothes, the same voice, and the same face.

"Naraku?" Syaoran questioned. "Kagome-san, isn't that the name of-"

Kagome nodded slightly.

"I didn't mean to frighten you- Kagome, was it?" Naraku said, approaching her. "You must be mistaking me for a Naraku from another world- and yes, I am aware of other worlds," He added as Syaoran opened his mouth to ask.

"I-I guess…" She answered, not entirely convinced.

"So how can I help all of you?"

"We are searching for something important to Sakura-hime," Syaoran began all too eagerly. "We believe that it may be somewhere around here."

"Then I shall do what I can to help. Please, stay here until you find it," The Lord offered.

"Err- thank you."

"Now, my attendant here can show you around the palace, as well as to your rooms," He continued as another man with short, black hair and long, purple robes entered the room at the word 'attendant.'

"If you will follow me," He stated.

Kagome took a close look at the man and smirked to herself, feeling somewhat eased by his presence. _Idiot…_ She thought to herself with a small grin.

* * *

><p>Their rooms were shown as well as the entire palace, all looking exactly like an average palace from the feudal era, giving Kagome even further doubts. All that was left now was the gardens, filled with bushes and flowers of every kind imaginable; the center piece being a grand fountain wide enough to walk in.<p>

As they walked through, the familiar attendant spoke of the laws and orders of the village, seeming rather bored as he did so. "And here is the Royal Garden," He explained as they stepped into the centre.

"You know, you don't have to do all of this," Kagome interrupted. "You can just explain to me why the hell you're here and not back home with Sango."

"So you figured it out, huh?" He questioned her.

"It wasn't that difficult… Miroku."

"Miroku? I thought you looked familiar," Kurogane added.

"He he… long time, no see, Kagome. And you as well Kurogane," Miroku greeted, opening his arms as he expected a welcoming embrace. Kagome walked towards him with a smile, seemingly accepting it.

_SMACK_

"Ouch! Err- I guess I deserved that one…" Miroku said as he rubbed his face, receiving a rather hard and forceful slap from his female companion.

"Damn right you deserved that and a hell of a lot more," She yelled, leaving Fai, Syaoran and Sakura greatly confused. Kurogane, on the other hand, was fully aware of the situation. "Oh, right. This is Miroku; a good-for-nothing pervert who portrays himself as a monk."

"Hey now, don't be so harsh," Miroku whined, waving his hands in defense.

"I'm not being harsh… yet!" Kagome snapped. "How could you just leave your family like that? Your children are growing up and without a father."

"I-I know, Kagome, but you don't understand _why_ I left."

"Oh, this should be good. What's her name and what does she look like?" She asked sarcastically.

"There is no woman. I haven't so much as looked at one since I left. Listen. I had a hunch that Naraku had disappeared, not only from the area, but from our world completely. His movements had not only changed, but had stopped completely," Miroku explained. "I decided to go after him to stop him from returning and hurting the village again. I couldn't tell you or Sango why or you'd both have my heads… not to mention what Inuyasha would do if he found out."

"I came across a way to reopen my wind-tunnel to travel worlds, full aware of what would happen if he wasn't destroyed. I mean, if Naraku could do it, the curse he had given me should have as well." He continued. "I eventually came across this world, and sure enough, I found him."

"And why haven't you killed him yet if it really is Naraku?" Kurogane asked.

"If I do kill him, my wind-tunnel will close and I will be trapped in this world," Miroku answered.

"Then get rid of him now and travel with us," Fai suggested.

"Unfortunately it isn't that simple. Naraku has been rather cautious around me the past while; even more so now that you have arrived. I have a feeling he knows that I'm the same Miroku, and now, that you are the same Kagome," He went on. "I tried my best to ease his suspicions working as his attendant, but it hasn't been working as of late."

Kagome just stood there, still trying to piece everything together, but there was one piece of the puzzle that would not let her continue.

"You knew…?" She began. "You knew he was gone this entire time… and you didn't tell anyone."

"I thought it best this way." He could see it in her eyes filled with flames. Nothing he said at this point would matter. She was angry, and he knew by experience that there was no stopping her when that happened.

"Thought it best? Do you realize you just made us fall into his trap? He wanted you to follow him, idiot!" Kagome shouted, leaving Miroku and the rest of the group speechless. "If you hadn't kept your mouth shut, we would all be safe at home! I'd still be happy with Inuyasha!"

Kagome gasped as her eyes went wide, realizing what she had just said, but all too late.

"F-Fai, I… I didn't-" Kagome stuttered, turning to face him. Fai's eyes were hidden beneath his hair, unwilling to reveal the pain within them. But rather than yell and get upset, the magician merely tilted his head slightly and gave his infamous smile, closing his eyes.

"So the truth finally comes out, Kagome-chan?" He asked in a fake, cheerful tone.

Kagome was taken aback. He didn't call her that anymore, not since they had first arrived in Outo. "K-Kagome-chan?"

Before anything else could be said, Fai quickly turned away and headed back to palace, almost in a sprint.

"Fai, wait!" She called after him, about to begin her pursuit after him.

"No, let him be," Kurogane stated with no emotion in his tone as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He needs to clear his head."

Kagome starred off to where the mage had disappeared from. She felt her knees buckle as rain began to pour down on the group, covering her tears with ease.

* * *

><p>The five travellers gathered at the dining hall for dinner, along with Miroku and 'Lord' Naraku himself. The dining hall was a grand room with a long, mahogany table placed in the center, large enough to fit multiple families. Other than the table and chairs, the room was completely empty, minus the odd decoration lining the wall.<p>

"I hope you all enjoyed the tour of the palace," Naraku said kindly, taking a seat at the end of the table.

"Yes, thank you," Syaoran replied, being the only one able to act kindly towards him at the time.

"Now, help yourselves."

"Monk," Kurogane whispered to his right. "Are you sure this guy is the right Naraku?"

He nodded. "I'm positive."

As the dinner continued, Syaoran spoke of his plans to search for Sakura's feathers at first light, as Sakura, Kurogane and Miroku played along, doing their best to hide their knowledge of the truth. Kagome and Fai, on the other hand, sat across from each other silently, not having spoken a word to each other since the incident a few hours before.

"I've been meaning to ask all day," Miroku began. "What made you want to travel worlds, Kagome?"

"Err… well I," Kagome stuttered, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "Inuyasha and I had been fighting a lot, and there was that whole Naraku problem, so I thought it would be a good idea to leave."

"Regretting it now, aren't you Kagome-chan?" Fai interjected, wearing that same emotionless smile.

Kagome had it. Slamming down her fork, she stood up abruptly, walking away from the table with haste.

"Thank you for dinner," She said before exiting the room, holding back her tears until the door clicked shut.

"Idiot!" Kurogane shouted, punching the mage hard on the side of the head before walking out himself.

"Ow, Kuro-pii! That really hurt!" Fai whined, though not receiving any sympathy from the remaining three (Mokona having been asleep through most of it). Fai sighed heavily before standing up and walking out without a word himself, but from the opposite end of the room.

"I am afraid to ask what that was about," Naraku said, breaking a long and awkward silence. "Well I have some other matters I must attend to. Feel free to stay in here as long as you wish. Good-night."

"I hope Kagome will be alright…" Sakura said worriedly after Naraku had taken his leave.

"What is going on between Kagome and Fai?" Miroku asked Sakura and Syaoran. "They've been off since the fight in the garden. They aren't together, are they?"

"I don't think so…" Sakura answered quietly. "At least, not anymore."

"Mentioning Inuyasha seemed to upset Fai quite a bit, and Kagome looked hurt when he added the 'chan' to her name," Miroku observed.

"I am the only one who adds the ending to her name, but as Kagome-san since she is older than I am," Syaoran began. "She hated having the ending on it and as everyone grew closer to her, they stopped. I've even been using it less, but Kagome-san knows I only mean it out of respect."

"I see… I do hope they can work it out. There is a connection between those two that Kagome never truly had with Inuyasha."

* * *

><p>Kurogane opened the bedroom door to enter almost complete darkness. If it weren't for the full moon's light shining in through the window, he wouldn't have been able to see the young woman on the floor, crying into the side of her bed. The ninja approached her slowly, kneeling next to her as she dove into his chest, sobbing even harder.<p>

Kurogane had never been good in these situations as he was usually the one to cause the other some form of pain, but he knew that what he was doing was right. What she needed right now was a friend to lean on. It wasn't long after that Kagome had begun to fall asleep as her cries slowed and eventually stopped completely. Before he knew it, the ninja began to doze off himself, as he lay against the side of the bed.

He regretted it almost instantly when he heard a quick scuffle outside the doorway. Eyes shooting open, Kurogane turned to face the door carefully as to not wake the one in his arms. It was only for a second, but he managed to catch a quick flash of blond disappearing from the doorway and he knew immediately that it was the mage. Sighing lightly, Kurogane stood up and placed Kagome in her bed.

"I hate seeing the two of you like this…" He said to her softly, pulling the covers over her. "You can come out mage. I know you're there."

"He he… how did you know it was me, Kuro-puu?" Fai joked half-heartedly, appearing from outside the doorway.

Kurogane didn't answer; at least not immediately. "She didn't mean what she said before."

"Eh?"

"Kagome means well, but she can be stupid, not to mention irrational at times, especially when she's angry. That doesn't excuse her from it… but your actions weren't exactly right either."

"Well Kuro-puu, I'm impressed. You're a lot deeper than you come across," Fai commented lightly.

"Enough with the jokes," Kurogane snapped. "Fix it in the morning or you won't make it to the afternoon," He threatened, storming passed the mage towards his own bedroom.

* * *

><p>Fai continued to stare at the ceiling, deep in thought as he lay atop his own bed. He had been awake for perhaps hours, unable to get any sleep after his run-in with Kurogane.<p>

_How on earth am I supposed to fix this? After what she said…_ Fai shook his head. _But if I don't, I'll lose her and I'm not ready to say good bye. She means too much to me. That, and Kurgi will have my head if I don't, but can I really forgive her…_

But his thoughts were interrupted by the sharp, piercing sound of a woman's screams coming from nearby.

"Hm?" The mage sat up abruptly and gasped. "That came from Kagome's room!" He exclaimed, shooting off his bed and darting towards her room.

The magician banged the door open, but only came too late. Her bed was empty, and her window left open.

"What happened!" Syaoran asked in a panic and out of breath as he was entered the room quickly with the others.

"Kagome… she's gone."

* * *

><p><strong>Please don't hate me... *runs and hides*<strong>


	10. Pierced Heart

**Well, here is the next chapter! An extra thanks to those of you who took the time to review, but to be honest, I'm just thrilled that you read the story at all :)**

* * *

><p>Through the Gate<p>

Chapter 10: Pierced Heart

Kagome's head was pounding. The last thing she knew, she was struggling for sleep in her bed. Now, Kagome didn't know where she was or how she got there. Everything was dark- no clues were given as to where she was, except for…

_Water?_

Kagome slowly opened her eyes. She was right; the girl was lying in what appeared to be the garden's center fountain.

"So, you're awake," A voice said, appearing in front of her from behind the shadows. "Your purification abilities have strengthened since we last met. Anyone else would have been unconscious for hours with the amount of miasma you were exposed to."

"N-Naraku!" Kagome growled, attempting to sit up. "Huh? I-I can't… move!"

"That is the affects of the miasma." Naraku chuckled. "Making it all the more simple to kill you."

"And why the hell didn't you just kill me inside?" Kagome asked, though secretly thankful he hadn't.

"Ah, I could have, but I needed you in this fountain's waters," Naraku explained. "It has a special property that releases spiritual energy when the priestess is killed within them. And with this feather," He went on, pulling out a pure white feather, marking a pale pink design, from his robes. "I can take that energy for myself."

"That belongs to Sakura! Give it back to her!" Kagome yelled, merely doing it for time. _Keep talking, Naraku. Just a little bit longer._ She thought, slightly moving her fingers.

Naraku starred at her for a moment, suddenly bursting into an evil laugh. "Ah, Kagome, even at the brink of death, you still fight for others before yourself. Anyone else would admire that," He said lightly. "Now… die!" He shouted, arms morphing into one of his vine-like tentacles, aiming for her heart.

"Not this time!" Kagome yelled, regaining control of her body just in time to roll out of the way of his attack, receiving a face full of pond water in return. Spitting out a mouthful of water, Kagome stood up and jumped out of the fountain. "You're going down Naraku."

"You honestly believe that you can defeat me? You are completely defenceless!"

"Don't be so sure," She answered, holding out her arm to summon Tetsuzura; its sword form appearing in her hand. "Naraku, DIE-"

"Kagome!" Familiar voices cried, approaching quickly from inside the palace. It was her friends; Syaoran, Sakura, Miroku, Kurogane, Mokona, and even Fai.

"You're- you're all here!" Kagome exclaimed, feeling a wave of relief washing over her. With the aid of her friends, Naraku wouldn't stand a chance.

"Alright Naraku, it's time you went for a long overdue trip into the Wind Tunnel!" Miroku threatened.

"I don't think so!" Naraku growled, raising his arms in the air. Suddenly, a barrier began to surround Naraku, Kagome and the fountain, cutting the others off from battle.

"Kagome, no!" Kurogane shouted. "Monk, you can take down barriers with those sutras of yours, can't you?"

"Yes, I'll try…" He said, sensing the all too rare panic in Kurogane's voice. "But it may take some time."

"Just do it!"

Miroku nodded without a second of hesitation, pulling out several of his sutras and placing them on the walls of the barrier. Lifting his hand in front of his face, the monk began to mumble incantations, trying his hardest to dispel it.

"Don't worry, guys," Kagome cut in. "I got this." Kagome charged at her enemy with her sword raised in one hand, dodging attacks left and right as she approached her target quickly. But Naraku was quicker, avoiding her swipes flawlessly, immediately returning with a stab into her left shoulder.

"GAH!" Kagome cried, stumbling back as blood poured from her shoulder.

"Kagome!" Both Sakura and Syaoran called out in fear.

"Miroku, hurry up!" Kurogane demanded, raising his voice much louder than he had intended, causing the others to jump.

"I'm trying! It's a lot stronger than I thought!"

"Mage, do magic or something and help hi-" Kurogane stiffened as he gazed upon the magician's face. It was completely pale and blank- except for his eyes. His usual bright and cheery, sapphire eyes had vanished, being replaced with a dreary blue filled with not only worry, but fear.

"Kagome…" The magician whispered.

"Ahh!" Kagome screamed, suffering further blows to her face and her sides. The priestess was losing, and bad. Naraku had grown in strength since their last encounter. There was no way she would be able to defeat him on her own- not without the others.

"Syaoran-kun, please," Sakura pleaded with tears beginning to form in the corners of her eyes. "Do something!"

"I- can't," He said regretfully, feeling, for once, absolutely useless; when help was needed most. "Not as long as this barrier is up."

One more forceful blow to the stomach and Kagome was knocked off her feet and into the ground, her head narrowly missing the concrete fountain's side.

"Kagome!"

Naraku smirked, staring down at the girl as her friends continued to shout and cry. "Are you prepared to die?"

"N-not… yet," Kagome breathed, struggling back to her feet, changing her sword into a bow.

"You always have been a stubborn one," Naraku laughed. "Just to make things interesting, I'll let you take a free shot."

Kagome mounted her bow and took aim, struggling to focus on Naraku as her vision began to go blurry. She shook her head and pulled back hard on the string, ready to fire. "Naraku! It's ov-" Her eyes widened as the grip on the arrow faltered, firing it past Naraku's head.

Fai, along with the rest of the group, froze, unable to process what he had just witnessed.

"K-Kagome!" He screeched as he watched his love stand limp, her bow falling to the ground with a crack.

Naraku smirked as he pulled back the arm that had pierced through her heart only seconds ago. "Foolish girl," He said, slowly approaching her with his murderous eyes. But he was taken slightly aback as he starred upon the dying priestess still chocking on blood and gasping for air. "Still alive? Well… that will change soon enough."

The villain bent down and lifted her roughly into his arms, carrying her back towards the fountain and placing back within the enchanted waters- where he had intended her to die in the beginning. A short smile appeared on his face as he watched her blood pool out, tainting the clear water.

"I win… Kagome," Naraku laughed, watching as her eyes emptied of all life, her chest drawing one final breath. "If only you had joined me all those years ago. None of this would have ever happened," He went on, stroking the side of her cheek.

"Don't touch her!" Fai barked, smashing his fist against the barrier, only for it to be shot back at him. "Agh… Miroku-sama!"

"I almost have it!" Miroku answered in a panic.

"S-Syaoran-kun…" Sakura whimpered, tears now flowing freely from her eyes.

"Will Kagome be okay, Syaoran-kun?" Mokona asked, popping out from behind Sakura. "Huh? _MEKKYO!_" It exclaimed as Naraku pulled out Sakura's feather once again, holding it over Kagome's body.

"Sakura-hime's feather!" Syaoran exclaimed.

Just then, Kagome's body began to glow a bright pink as her aura erupted from her body, twisting and swirling into the air, uniting with the feather. The pure white feather then began to change as the priestess's body lost its pink hue. The feather was now dyed the same pale pink, its purple insignia disappearing as the feather's memory was returned to its rightful owner, causing the princess to collapse into Syaoran's arms.

"Hime!"

"Her power; it's finally mine!" Naraku shouted to the heavens, bursting out into maniacal laughter over his long overdue victory.

"Got it!" Miroku shouted as the surrounding barrier shattered into dust. Miroku, Kurogane and Syaoran charged at the enemy, raising their weapons in fury as they began to strike. Sakura, having awakened rather quickly after her memory was returned, along with Mokona and Fai, headed straight to the fountain where their dear companion lay.

"Kagome!" Fai called, jumping into the fountain, kneeling to the girl's side and lifting her onto his lap. "Kagome, please, wake up!" But the girl didn't move. Her eyes remained wide and blank, her skin as cold as ice while blood continued to stain her white clothing.

"Ah!" Sakura cried; a short burst of flames narrowly missing her as the range of attacks from the others grew.

"S-Sakura, get over here!" Fai commanded. As she obeyed, Fai then began to whistle, to the princess's surprise- whirls of magic following the sound. Suddenly, a giant, light blue barrier formed around them, protecting them from any and all incoming attacks.

"Is-is she…" Sakura stuttered, focusing on the matter at hand rather than Fai's magic.

"K-Kagome…" Fai cried, burying his face into her neck as he sobbed. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"WIND TUNNEL!" Miroku shouted, removing the beads from his hand once Syaoran and Kurogane had halted their strikes, as to not suck them in. Though neither the mage nor the princess paid attention to their battle, continuing to mourn over their lost friend.

"Fai-san," Syaoran called. "Drop the barrier. He's gone."

Fai merely sat there, only clinging on to the body harder; refusing to let his guard down.

"Fai, Naraku is gone," Miroku assured him. "He was taken in by the wind tunnel."

The magician nodded hesitantly, releasing his spell and allowing the barrier to fall around him.

"S-Syaoran-kun!" Sakura sobbed, racing into his arms. "Kagome, she- she's…"

The boy's expression hardened, embracing the girl as she cried into his chest, resisting the temptation to show emotion himself. Syaoran looked over to Miroku and Kurogane. The monk looked devastated, as if he were to break down any second. Kurogane, however, stood there with a blank expression, his eyes unable to break from the one in the mage's arms.

"Mage…" The ninja said quietly. "Take her out of the water. Naraku is dead."

Fai stood up and stepped out of the bloodstained fountain with Kagome in his arms obediently, not saying a word as he set her on the ground carefully.

"He's… dead?" Was all the mage could say.

"Yes," Miroku answered. "Kagome had managed to weaken him quite a bit, so it didn't take much more. She put up a good fight," He said carefully as to not set the magician off.

"W-what do w-we do now?" Sakura sniffled. Everyone remained silent as they kneeled beside the body, unsure of their next move.

"White-bun," Kurogane ordered suddenly. "Call Yuuko."

"Mokona obeyed, closing its eyes as the red gem on its forehead glowed, causing a large pink circle to appear before them with the witch inside.

"Well if it isn't my favourite customers. I've been wondering when I was going to-" She stopped, spotting the blood drenched body lying between them. "What happened?" The witch asked, her voice changing to one of concern.

"Naraku… the one she was running from," Kurogane responded.

"How can we save her?" Sakura asked desperately.

"You can't."

The group froze. None of them were expecting such an answer, at least not so straight forward. Was Yuuko telling the truth? Was Kagome really… gone?

"Unless… do you still have the feather?" She questioned.

"Do you mean this?" Miroku asked, holding up a shining pink feather that was taken from Naraku before his destruction.

"Yes. Sakura-chan, that feather no longer contains your memory. However, a fraction of your power still remains within it. Without it, you will fall into a deep sleep once again until the next one is found," Yuuko explained. "Sakura-chan, if you are willing to give up a part of your strength, you can help save Kagome-chan's life. Will you pay the price?"

"Yes, of course. Kagome is my friend and I would do anything to help!" Sakura answered, granting the monk permission to place the feather upon Kagome's chest. Upon its placement, the feather began to dissolve into her body as a small tinge of heat began to return to her skin.

Without warning, Kagome's eyes flashed open as she began to gasp for air as before, unable to retain a full breath.

"Her wounds are still open!" Syaoran noted as she continued to bleed out. "Yuuko-san, how do we help her?"

"You must pay the price, though it is too much for only one of you to pay it."

"I will pay," Fai stated. "Anything."

"The hell you will mage," Kurogane threatened. "She'll never forgive you if you do, then we'll end up going through that relationship shit again. I'll pay. I guess I can put up with her hating me for a little while if she finds out."

Yuuko nodded. "Blood. You must gradually give up your own blood to replenish hers."

"Done, and the other price?"

"Her scars. Whoever pays must permanently bear every scar that she would have gained."

"I'll do it," Syaoran said immediately.

"No," Miroku intervened. "There is a higher chance that she will see them on you. I plan on heading home as soon as Kagome is healed anyways, so she will never know if I bear them."

"Then it's settled."

* * *

><p>Kagome's eyes slowly fluttered open; her vision fuzzy. Once again, she had no clue as to where she was or what was going on as her sight began to come into focus.<p>

"W-what… happened… ah! Naraku!" She shouted, wincing from pain as she sat up all too quickly, holding her chest.

"Kagome, he's gone. Now lay back down. You've been unconscious for over a week," A blond, blue eyed man said kindly.

"Fai," Kagome looked around as the man aided her back down. It was only the two of them inside what appeared to be a small traveller's hut. "Where are we?"

"Outside of the village. We thought it best to get you out of there, for sanity's sake," Fai joked lightly, though he didn't receive so much as a chuckle from the girl. She continued to lie there, staring blankly at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact with him completely.

"Kagome, I know you're still upset with me, but…" Fai stumbled. "I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have-"

"You called me… Kagome," She mumbled. He might have been imagining it, but Fai could have sworn a small smile had just appeared on her face. "I can't forgive you… because there is nothing to forgive," She went on. "I shouldn't have said what I said. I still have feelings for Inuyasha, but… I don't think they're the same as they were. I care about someone else even more."

"Let's not worry about that right now. Let's focus on you getting better," Fai said with a smile.

"So Naraku is… dead?"

"Yes. Miroku-sama finished him off. His wind tunnel is gone too," Fai explained.

"That's a relief." Kagome sighed. "Where is everyone else?"

"Outside. They said it would be better if you and I were left alone."

"For what?"

Fai bent over, pressing his lips softly on her forehead. Kagome could have sworn she had felt something wet hit her cheek, like a drop of rain… or a tear.

"I had never been so afraid in my life. I thought I had lost you…" Fai whimpered, lying down beside her and gently wrapping his arm around her waist as Kagome shifted to her side to face him. "I picked you up in my arms and you weren't breathing. It was probably the worst feeling anyone could ever have."

"Fai, it's alright," Kagome whispered. "I'm here now and I'll never do that to you again."

"I know, but just to make sure… I'm never letting go."

"Promise?"

Fai chuckled. "I promise."

The two remained silent for awhile, slowly beginning to drift away to sleep, holding each other in their arms.

"Fai?" Kagome asked, finally breaking the comforting silence.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

Fai sighed as a small smile appeared on his lips. He had never been so happy as he was at this very moment.

"I love you too…

Kagome."

* * *

><p><strong>I seriously cried when I was thinking (dreaming) this world up. Heartbreak, death, but then romance. It was definately a 'different' chapter to right, thats for sure. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you think!<strong>

**Another note: I'm thinking about drawing up scenes from each chapter of my fanfics, starting with this one. If anyone wanted to help with this one, or any of my other fanfics, feel free to message me either on here, or my deviantart account (also kikyo539). I also keep updates of images, chapters and videos on my blog (link on profile) if you wanted to keep updated there, or ask me any questions. It's a lot easier for me to answer any you have there rather than through fanfiction.**

**I'm not going to be able to update this story for a couple of weeks unfortunately. Exams start on thursday for me and I really want to get a lot of studying done. My last exam is the 18th, but then I have to pack up my dorm and head home. As soon as I'm done, I'll start working on it again :) I'm not getting a job until june probably, so I'll have lots of time.**

**Until then!**


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